THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

RIVERSIDE 


A  HISTORY 


OF  THE 


ILLINOIS 


TATB  \  ORMAL 


NORMAL,  ILLINOIS. 


JOHN  W,  GOOK  ACD  JAMBS  Y,  McHUGH, 
«/» 


NORMAL,  IILLINOIS. 

1882. 


Copyrighted,  1882,  by 

JOHN  W.  COOK  AND  JAMES  V.  McHTJGH, 
NORMAL,  ILLINOIS. 


BLOOM INGTON,  ILL.: 
PANTAGRAPH  PRINTING  AND  BINDING  ESTABLISHMENT. 

1882. 


PREFACE. 


The  close  of  the  first  quarter  century  of  the  history  of  the 
Normal  School,  and  the  celebration  of  that  event,  suggested  the  idea 
of  the  following  volume.  The  work  was  begun  by  Messrs.  James 
V.  McIIugh  and  GeoVge  Howell.  "When  about  four-fifths  of  the 
work  had  been  printed,  Mr.  Howell  disposed  of  his  interest  to  John 
AV.  Cook. 

The  thanks  of  the  publishers  are  especially  due  to  those  who 
have-  contributed  articles  and  have  assisted  in  the  collection  of  infor- 
mation. 

The  types  are  not  quite  intelligible  in  a  few  instances.  On  page 
sixty-three,  Grennell  should  have  appeared  instead  of  "Gunnell;"  on 
page  sixty-four,  read  Stanard  instead  of  "Standard;"  on  page  seventy- 
one,  change  "llarwood"  to  Ilurwood;  on  page  ninety-five,  change 
"Levett"  to  Swett,  and  on  page  ninety-six,  change  "Benton"  to 
"Wilder.  The  above  are  the  only  errors  of  especial  note. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  "History"  will  be  of  interest  to  the  friends 
of  the  school,  and  that  it  will  contribute  to  a  correct  appreciation 
of  an  institution  that  has  done  its  share  in  promoting  the  general 

welfare. 

TJIK  PUBLISHERS. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


EARLY  HISTORY,  J.  H.  Burnham  and  E.  A.  Gastman, 

ILLINOIS  PIONEERS  OF  EDUCATION,  James  H.  Blodgett,        ....  9 

LOCATION  AND  CONSTRUCTION,  J.  H.  Burnham,       ....  .14 

AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  GEN.  C.  E.  Hovey,     .......          28 

BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  OF  THE  FACULTY,  .          .          .          .          .          .46 

CHANGES  IN  THE  FACULTY,    .........          52 

PRESENT  FACULTY,   ..... 

ALUMNI  ASSOCIATION,  John  W.  Cook,       .....  55 

NORMAL  ALUMNI  REGISTER,  John  W.  Cook,  ...  .56 

PHILADELPHIAN  SOCIETY,  E.  W.  Thomas  and  Others,  ....          103 

WRIGHTONIAN  SOCIETY,  J.  H.  Burnham  and  Others,         .  .  .  .  .116 

INTER-SOCIETY  CONTESTS,  James  V.  McHugh,  ......         142 

INTER-NORMAL  CONTESTS,  .....  .  .148 

ARMY  LIST,          ...  .155 

REMINISCENCES,         .  .....  .159 

THE  ECLIPSE  OF  THE  MOON,  S.  Y.  Gillan,  ....  .162 

THE  LIBERAL  FIGHT,  George  Hoffman,  ...  .    164 

WORKING  THE  ROADS,  ...  .167 

DR.  HEWETT'S  BIRTHDAY,  ....  .108 

THE  SOCIABLE  SQUABBLE,      .....  .169 

THE  QUARTER  CENTENNIAL,         ....  .171 

NORTON'S  LETTER,         ....  .  .171 

GEN.  HOVEY'S  ADDRESS,    ........  .    175 

DR.  EDWARDS'  ADDRESS,         .........         192 

DR.  HEWETT'S  ADDRESS,    ..........    207 

W.  L.  PILLSBURY'S  ADDRESS,  ........         217 

THE  CELEBRATION,  ..........    227 

THE  LABORATORY  OK  NATURAL  HISTORY,  S.  A.  Forbes,       ....         :.':;<; 

FURTHER  IMPROVEMENTS,  .........    249 

WORK  OF  THE  UNDERGRADUATES,  .......         250 

ABSALOM'S  PILLAR,  H.  B.  Norton,         ........    251 

NAMES  OF  THOSE  PRESENT  THE  FIRST  DAY,      ......         25:! 

MRS.  MARY  FRANCES  HULL,        .          .          .          .          .          .          .          .          .251 

THE  NORMAL  SCHOOL  ABROAD,       ........         255 


EARLY  HISTORY. 


Previous  to  the  adoption  of  the  constitution  of  1848,  Illinois 
was  peopled  with  emigrants  who  had  generally  come  from  the  States 
of  Indiana,  Ohio,  or  Pennsylvania,  where,  at  that  time,  there  existed 
no  system  of  common  schools  worthy  of  the  name.  These  settlers 
brought  with  them  the  ideas  and  usages  prevalent  in  their  old  homes. 
They  were  favorable  to  schools,  but  these  schools  were  either  acade- 
mies, seminaries,  or  subscription  primary,  or  district  schools,  supple- 
mented generally  by  a  little  aid  from  the  limited  public  funds.  Our 
school  laws  were,  however,  an  improvement  upon  those  of  many  of 
our  sister  States,  and  our  school  funds  were  being  provided  for  on 
a  liberal  scale  by  the  donation  of  the  sixteenth  section  of  government 
land,  which  donation  dates  back  to  the  admission  of  our  State  into 
the  Union,  in  1818,  when  the  foundation  was  laid  for  the  magnificent 
school  system  which  we  see  to-day.  This  fund,  however,  though 
very  well  in  theory,  proved,  in  too  many  instances,  a  delusion  and 
a  snare  in  practice.  Its  management,  in  a  great  many  instances  in 
the  older  counties,  fell  into  the  hands  of  men  who  had  no  conception 
of  the  free  school  system,  and  even  if  they  had  foreseen  the  present 
value  of  the  rich  lands,  they  lacked  the  financial  capacity  to  manage 
properly  the  great  trust  confided  to  their  care.  The  settlers,  in  many 
instances,  banded  themselves  together  to  purchase  these  lands  at  a 
mere  nominal  figure,  thereby  defrauding  their  posterity  of  the  full 
benefit  of  this  magnificent  provision.  Even  where  honestly  and  care- 
fully managed,  this  fund  often  fell  short  of  its  capabilities,  owing  to 
the  quality  of  the  soil,  the  low  value  of  all  real  estate,  or  to  the 
inevitable  losses  resulting  from  panics,  paper  money,  and  incompetent 
supervision. 

It  therefore  happened  that  from  a  variety  of  causes  the  col- 
lege  and  seminary  funds,  and  the  general  common  school  funds  of 
this  State,  previous  to  1848,  were  far  below  what  the  greaf  men 
intended  who  provided  for  the  original  grant.  Slowly  and  surely, 
however,  our  common  schools  were  progressing.  The  cultured  emi- 
grants from  southern  States,  liberally  educated  entirely  with  their 
parents'  or  guardians'  money,  and  the  descendents  of  our  first  settlers 
here,  who  were  fortunate  enough  to  enjoy  the  advantages  of  an  educa- 
tion derived,  in  part,  from  public  aid,  were  largely  reinforced  by 
emigrants  from  New  York  and  New  England.  The  latter  were  fresh 


6  HISTORY   OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

from  States  where  common  schools  were  free,  and  where  the  great 
principle  of  the  Republic — free  education  of  the  masses — had  been 
long  enough  in  force  to  bring  forth  ripe  fruit  for  western  exportation. 

These  liberally-educated  elements  existed  throughout  the  length 
and  breadth  of  our  State.  Northern  Illinois  and  the  region  west  of 
the  Illinois  river,  with  scattering  settlements  in  central  and  southern 
Illinois,  were  peopled  largely  with  these  New  York  and  New  England 
emigrants.  Educated  southerners  were  found  all  over  the  State,  bufc 
more  especially  in  southern  Illinois. 

The  best  educated  native  Illinoisans  were  most  numerous  in  St. 
Clair,  Madison,  Monroe,  Randolph,  Gallatin,  and  the  Ohio  river 
counties.  These  elements  did  not,  perhaps,  strive  with  a  common 
plan,  but  they  were  animated  with  a  common  purpose.  They  were 
widely  scattered,  and  enjoyed  few  means  of  public  discussion,  either 
in  convention  or  newspapers.  But  when  their  representatives  met  at 
our  Legislature,  and  the  school  laws  were  being  amended  or  iv  '  H 
was  found  that  there  was  a  pressing  demand  for  the  passor'H  t" 
laws  as  should  favor  the  free  education  of  all  the  childr*.  tiio 

State.  The  efforts  of  these  pioneers  were  finally  rewarded-  when  the 
new  constitution  of  1848  was  framed.  This  provided  a  State  tax  of 
two  mills  on  the  dollar,  which  should  be  annually  levied  by  the  State 
Auditor,  without  the  intervention  of  the  Legislature,  and  a  great  step 
was  at  once  taken  in  the  cause  of  education. 

This  tax,  though  not  large  in  itself,  when  added  to  the  revenue  of 
the  school  funds,  in  counties  where  these  funds  had  been  successfully 
managed,  was  at  least  a  nucleus.  Legislation  provided  for  the  raising 
of  money  to  erect  school  houses,  and,  eventually,  by  further  amend- 
ments, our  most  advanced  communities  were  enabled  to  present 
successful  instances  of  well-managed  public  schools.  The  great 
impetus  given  to  the  cause  of  public  instruction  in  New  York,  New 
England,  Indiana,  and  Michigan,  exerted  a  powerful  effect  upon  the 
public  mind  of  this  State,  and  the  act  of  1854  placed  our  system  far 
in  advance  of  its  previous  condition. 

The  friends  of  education  were  scattered  all  over  the  State  and 
counted  our  most  energetic  and  most  influential  citizens  among  their 
number  and  were  fast  advancing  to  the  supreme  control  of  our  State 
school  legislation.  They  could  now  begin  to  point  to  hundreds  of 
most  admirable  free  schools,  in  various  parts  of  the  State,  taught  by 
the  best  teachers  in  .the  Union.  These  schools  were  very  numerous 
in  the  extreme  northern  counties,  where  the  settlers  had  brought  with 
them,  almost  perfect  and  entire,  their  eastern  schools  and  eastern 
ideas.  Th^se  had  become  naturalized  and  matured  under  the  liberal 
laws  of  Illinois.  Scattered  through  the  State  were  a  few  bright 
examples  in  other  counties.  LaSalle,  Feoria,  Knox,  Morgan,  St. 
Clair,  Madison,  and  other  counties,  had  brilliant  illustrations  to  add 
to  the  general  stock,  and  free  schools  had  not  only  become  popular, 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  7 

but  the  demand  of  the  hour.  This  was  the  period,  embracing  the 
year  1854,  when  our  leading  educators  began  to  realize  that,  in  order 
to  make  our  schools  all  the  public  were  now  demanding,  they  must 
furnish  some  system,  or  source,  through  which  more  and  bettei 
teachers  could  be  provided. 

There  were  teachers  then  in  this  State  whose  superiors  have,  per- 
haps, never  been  found.  But  it  was  undeniably  true,  and  is,  perhaps, 
true  to-day,  that  many,  many  thousands  were  upon  the  teachers'  plat- 
form, whose  qualifications  were  far  below  the  proper  standard.  Our 
best  teachers  were  then  mostly  from  the  older  States,  and  were  those 
who  had  been  educated  at  colleges  or  academies  of  a  high  grade, 
though  there  were  not  wanting  numerous  examples  of  home  growth 
fully  equaling  the  foreign  article. 

New  England  enjoyed  almost  a  monopoly  of  supplying  the  best 
teachers,,  and  had  already  commenced  their  regular  production,  Nor- 
mal fcrovools  having  been  in  operation  there  for  several  years.  Ohio 
was  n<;i  f^v  behind,  while  the  best  colleges  of  Virginia  and  Kentucky 
forway  a  a  goodly  proportion. 

The  idea  of  obtaining  a  State  Normal  School  began  to  take  root 
and  grow  about  1856,  especially  among  the  teachers  of  the  State  who 
had  by  this  time  commenced  holding  annual  conventions.  The 
formation  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association  marks  an  era  in 
our  educational  aifairs.  Previous  to  that  time  the  schools  of  the 
State  were  almost  entirely  without  organization.  The  general  man- 
agement was  in  the  hands  of  the  Secretary  of  State,  and  the  schools 
formed  simply  a  department  in  his  office.  Of  course  they  could 
receive  but  little  intelligent  attention  from  that  officer.  The  free 
school  law  itself  met  with  bitter  opposition  in  many  parts  of  the 
State.  Its  principles  were  either  misunderstood  or  misrepresented. 
County  commissioners  were  elected  in  the  several  counties,  but  their 
salary  was  extremely  low  in  nearly  every  instance.  Free  high 
schools  were  unknown.  Under  these  circumstances,  three  men,  H. 
H.  Lee,  of  Chicago,  J.  A.  Hawley,  of  Dixon,  and  Daniel  Wilkins, 
met  at  the  home  of  the  latter,  in  Bloomington,  for  the  purpose  of 
trying  to  devise  some  plan  by  which  the  condition  of  popular  educa- 
tion might  be  improved  throughout  the  State.  As  a  result  of  this 
conference,  a  call  was  issued  for  a  general  meeting  of  the  friends  of 
free  schools  to  meet  in  Bloomington,  December  26-9,  1853.  The 
convention  assembled  pursuant  to  this  call,  and  D.  Brewster,  of  Kane 
County,  was  chosen  president,  and  Wm.  H.  Powell,  of  LaSalle 
County,  secretary.  It  was  reported  at  our  late  meeting  in  Springfield 
that  the  president  is  still  living.  The  secretary  has  not  been  heard 
from  for  several  years. 

Three  topics  were  thoroughly  discussed  at  this  meeting:  It  was 
resolved  to  ask  the  Legislature  to  establish,  as  a  separate  office,  the 
State  Superintendency;  to  establish  and  maintain  a  Normal  School; 


HISTORY   OF  THE   ILLINOIS 

and  it  also  determined  to  organize  a  State  Teachers'  Association,  and 
secure,  if  possible,  the  publication  of  a  journal  devoted  to  the  cause 
of  free  schools  in  the  State.  The  Normal  School  question  seems  to 
have  provoked  a  long  and  spirited  debate.  It  is  a  curious  fact  that 
the  same  objections  were  then  urged  that  are  biennially  reproduced 
in  our  Legislature  against  these  schools.  Can  it  be  that  we  are  never 
to  reach  a  period  in  the  discussion  when  these  questions  will  be  set- 
tled by  the  logic  of  events?  It  does  seem  as  though  the  actual  work- 
ings of  these  schools,  in  the  past  twenty-five  years,  has  abundantly 
demonstrated  the  weakness  of  the  arguments  put  forth  against  them 
in  1853. 

After  the  adjournment  of  the  convention,  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Institute  was  organized.  The  name  was  changed  to  Illinois 
State  Teachers'  Association,  two  years  afterward,  at  the  second 
annual  meeting,  held  in  Springfield. 

Rev.  W.  Goodfellow,  of  the  Illinois  Wesleyan  University,  was 
the  first  president,  and  Rev.  Daniel  Wilkins,  the  first  secretary.  A 
constitution  was  adopted,  which  contained  nothing  remarkable,  except 
that  it  made  provision  for  the  appointment  of  a  committee  on  almost 
every  conceivable  department  of  school  work.  After  providing  that 
the  first  annual  meeting  should  be  held  in  the  city  of  Peoria,  in 
December,  185J-,  the  meeting  adjourned. 

The  most  prominent  topic  in  all  the  early  meetings  of  the  Illi- 
nois State  Teachers'  Association,  was  the  organization  of  a  Normal 
School.  At  the  Peoria  meeting,  in  185i,  and  again  at  Springfield,  in 
1855,  the  discussion  was  continued  with  much  warmth.  There  seem 
to  have  been  really  three  parties  to  the  contest :  The  Normal  School 
men,  who  contended  that  the  great  want  of  the  State  was  trained 
teachers,  and  that  these  could  be  secured  in  no  other  way  than  by 
establishing  a  separate  institution  for  that  purpose;  on  the  other 
hand,  a  large  and  influential  class  of  educational  workers,  headed  by 
Prof.  J.  B.  Turner,  of  Jacksonville,  who  maintained  that  either  an  In- 
dustrial University,  with  a  Normal  Department,  should  be  established, 
or  else  that  an  Agricultural  Department  should  be  attached  to  the 
Normal  School;  lastly,  those  who  thought  it  would  be  disastrous  to 
the  best  interests  of  all  parties  if  education  and  religion  were 
divorced,  and  who  favored  the  founding  of  Normal  Departments,  by 
the  State,  in  connection  with  all  the  sectarian  colleges  already  estab- 
lished. The  discussion  of  these  various  views  was  so  long  and  bitter 
at  the  Springfield  meeting  that  the  following  resolution  was  adopted: 

Resolved,  That  the  Association  does  not  wish  to  discuss  any  university  question, 
but  occupy  themselves  (sic)  with  the  interests  of  common  schools  and  Normal  Schools. 

When  the  Association  met  in  Chicago,  in  1856,  Prof.  Turner  sent 
a  letter,  gracefully  withdrawing  from  the  contest.  The  following 
extract  will  contribute  to  a  clearer  understanding  of  the  whole  con- 
troversy : 


STATE    NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  9 

"It  has  ever  been  my  opinion,  and  the  general  opinion  of  the 
friends  of  the  Industrial  League,  that  a  Normal  School,  with  an 
Agricultural  Department  connected  with  it,  would  be  more  strongly 
bound  to  the  interests  and  feelings  of  the  masses  of  our  people,  and 
therefore  more  popular  and  prosperous  than  if  it  stood  entirely  alone, 
for  precisely  the  same  reason  that  such  institutions  do  not  so  well 
prosper  when  standing  beneath  the  shadow  of  a  college  or  university, 
or  higher  order  of  school;  for  it  is  a  law  of  nature  that  the  stronger 
and  higher  should  draw  from  the  weaker  and  the  lower.  Still,  if  this 
is  not  agreeable  to  the  teachers  of  the  State,  or  the  friends  of  the 
Normal  School,  I  wish  them  to  organize  it  in  such  manner  as  they 
think  best ;  and  in  any  plan  the  Teachers'  Association  may  devise, 
the  friends  of  the  League  will  most  heartily  cooperate,  provided  it  is 
effectually  separated  from  such  partisan  political  control  as  would 
render  it  a  curse  instead  of  a  blessing  to  the  State. 

It  is  high  time,  my  friends,  that  you  had  your  Normal  School, 
whether  we  ever  get  an  Agricultural  Department  to  it  or  not.  Let 
us  all  take  hold  together  and  try  to  obtain  it  in  such  form  as  you 
may,  on  the  whole,  think  best. 

Respectfullv  submitted,  by  yours  most  truly, 

J.  B.  "TURNER." 

After  a  long  and  animated  discussion,  the  Association  passed  the 
following : 

"Resolved,  That  the  educational  interests  of  Illinois  demand  the  immediate 
establishment  of  a  State  Normal  School  for  the  education  of  teachers-,  and,  in  the 
language  of  the  Board  of  Education,  '  We  therefore  recommend  an  appropriation,  by 
the  next  Legislature,  of  a  sufficient  sum  annually  to  support  such  a  seminary  of 
learning.'  In  the  following  February,  the  Legislature  passed,  and  the  Governor 
approved,  'An  act  for  the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  a  Normal  University.'  " 

Before  giving  a  history  of  the  University,  its  organization,  etc., 
allow  us  to  introduce  a  letter  received  by  0.  E.  Mann  at  the  quarter- 
centennial  of  the  State  Teachers'  Association,  held  at  Springfield, 
December  26,  1881.  It  contains  many  interesting  facts  respecting  the 

ILLINOIS  PIONEERS  OF  'EDUCATION. 


CENSUS  OFFICE,  [ 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  December  26,  1881.  j 
C.  E.  MANN,  Chairman  Executive  Committee,  S.  T.  A. : 

DEAR  SIR  :  C.  E.  Hovey  insists  that  I  shall  explain  his  failure 
to  write  and  myself  respond  for  him.  He  is  in  a  great  pressure  of 
work  just  now,  and  regrets  he  did  not  begin  when  your  note  first 
came,  when  he  might  have  written  something.  We  have  recalled 
many  things  in  view  of  the  anniversary  at  hand.  I  knew  most  of 
the  men  prominent  in  the  first  meeting,  and  I  had  an  early  part  in 


10  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

the  Association's  work.  Joliet,  Jacksonville,  Quincy,  Dixon,  Eock 
Island,  and  Rockford  have  each  been  the  place  of  meeting  at  least 
once.  Decatur,  Ottawa,  Galesburg,  and  Peoria,  each  at  least  twice. 
Bloomington  and  Springfield  at  least  three  times  each.  I  cannot 
locate  all  the*  war-time  meetings.  Mr.  Hovey's  reminiscences  freshen 
up  my  knowledge  of  matters  mostly  known  to  me  as  they  occurred, 
and  so  little  wholly  new  to  me  that  this  may  pass  for  our  joint  pro- 
duction, without  separate  credit  for  each  item  possibly  due  to  him. 
Some  of  the  men  prominent  in  those  early  meetings  are  yet  prominent. 
The  first  meeting  was  at  Peoria,  the  year  liovey  came  west,  and 
while  he  was  yet  a  teacher  of  a  stock  school,  the  germ  of  the  present 
school  system  of  Peoria.  There  was  W.  H.  Powell  presiding  as  first 
vice-president,  in  absence  of  O.  Springstead,  president.  Although 
afterward  State  Superintendent,  his  record  can  only  be  followed  as  a 
warning  to  teachers  not  to  be  too  fond  of  money.  Then  there  were 
men  with  the  teachers  in  interest,  but  not  in  school-room  work  at  the 
time.  A  strong  force  of  such  men  was  represented  at  that  Peoria 
meeting  by  one  of  eccentric  enthusiasm,  who  attracted  attention  by 
the  balancing  of  his  short  name  with  the  initials  before  and  after  it : 
W.  F.  M.  Arny,  D.  V.  M.,  the  latter  part  not  interpreted  to  this 
day  so  far  as.  heard  from.  He  was  afterward  active  in  "Bleeding 
Kansas;"  yet  later,  acting  governor  of  New  Mexico;  went  to  England 
to  look  after  one  of  those  great  estates  so  often  left  to  unknown 
Americans,  and  is  reported  to  have  died  after  his  return.  Bronson 
Murray,  active  in  agricultural  ideas  as  applied  to  education,  was  there. 
He  left  the  State  for  an  eastern  residence  after  spurring  others  to  the 
work.  Representing  these  agricultural  men  on  the  one  hand,  and  the 
school-room  teachers  on  the  other,  the  champion  of  agricultural 
education,  with  broad  culture,  a  sympathizing  perception  of  the  needs 
of  the  actual  teacher,  serving  to  check  impracticable  notions,  with  a 
bull-dog  pertinacity,  and  a  pride  of  independence  in  his  ideas,  was 
J.  B.  Turner,  of  Jacksonville,  of  whom  an  opponent  in  debate,  in 
his  vexation,  said  "he  wanted  to  go  in  a  gang  all  by  himself."  How- 
ever, he  was  not  always  found  alone  in  his  many  undertakings.  Hovey 
insists  that  from  a  speech  in  Putnam  County,  delivered  by  J.  Turner, 
whose  ideas  had  gathered  force  meantime,  came  a  rally  and  a  petition 
from  the  Illinois  Legislature,  which  inaugurated  the  national  grants 
for  the  Industrial  Colleges.  It  was  the  momentum  of  the  movement 
of  J.  B.  Turner  and  Bronson  Murray,  and  their  associates,  that  made 
the  Normal  School  an  early  possibility,  supported  with  the  university 
fund,  granted  to  the  State  by  the  general  government  forty  years 
before. 

The  State  Superintendent  of  that  day  was  at  Peoria — Ninian  "W". 
Edwards,  first  Superintendent  of  Illinois  Public  Schools,  yet  living 
to  link  the  great  State  of  to-day  with  the  infant  Territory,  of  which 
his  father  was  the  only  Governor.  At  other  early  meetings,  John  F. 


STATE    NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  11 

Brooks,  yet  of  Springfield,  and   Horace  Spalding,  of  Jacksonville, 
helped  give  form  and  force  to  the  new  order  of  things. 

Uncle  Sim  Wright  was  at  that  Peoria  opening.  A  wonderful 
man  for  hard  work,  he  had  made  a  little  village  school,  that  even  yet 
is  not  reached  by  railroad,  the  nucleus  for  the  young  people  forty 
miles  around.  The  sense  of  his  power  was  even  then  upon  the  book 
agents,  who  there  showed  the  mighty  zeal  that  has  characterized  them 
in  greater  or  less  degree  ever  since.  The  prospects  of  the  new  era 
in  Illinois  made  them  almost  as  zealous  as  in  a  recent  year  when  they 
gathered  in  Missouri  to  aid  in  determining,  for  the  good  of  the  people, 
what  books  would  be  used  for  the  next  five  years.  Uncle  Sim  had 
good  qualities  for  us  to  copy,  and  he  would  sacrifice  himself  to  his 
work.  He  had  his  faults  too,  and  died  too  soon,  himself  his  own 
worst  enemy.  The  school  attendance  of  Illinois  was  not  before,  nor 
since,  so  high  in  proportion  to  population  as  when  Simeon  Wright,  as 
agent  of  the  State  Association  in  1857-8,  preached  an  educational 
revival  in  the  free  school-room  day  and  night. 

Newton  Bateman  was  at  that  formation  meeting,  and  his  forma- 
tive influence  was  already  shaping  the  first  graded  school  of  the  State, 
and  to  the  younger  teachers  the  name  has  become  so  much  a  matter 
of  course  that  they  hardly  know,  even  as  a  matter  of  history,  that 
the  system  and  Newton  Bateman  have  not  always  been  synonymous 
terms. 

Not  to  dwell  especially  farther  on  the  individuality  of  that  Peoria 
meeting,  except  to  notice  that  Charles  Davis,  the  mathematical  pro- 
fessor at  West  Point,  was  one  of  the  speakers,  and  that  Lucy  Stone 
and  Henry  B.  Blackwell  were  there,  the  meeting  must  be  charac- 
terized as  giving  form  and  vitality  to  at  least  three  movements  of 
great  importance.  1.  A.  Teachers'  Journal.  2.  The  Normal  Univer- 
sity. 3.  The  character  of  the  State  Superintendency.  Mr.  Edwards 
had  been  appointed  to  the  office  by  the  governor. 

In  the  early  years  of  the  Association,  questions  that  have  passed 
so  long  that  some  teachers  of  many  years  experience  think  they  were 
always  settled,  stirred  up  the  very  depths  of  zealous  excitement. 
The  men  who  met  at  Peoria  did  not  represent  the  free  schools.  It 
was  only  exceptionally  rich  districts  that  had  free  schools,  through 
lucky  sales  of  their  township  land  or  accumulation  of  their  funds. 
Nor  were  the  graded  schools  represented,  for  there  were  hardly 
enough  in  the  State  to  make  a  plural  number.  Many  Illinois  public 
schools  were  under  the  plan  of  signing  a  certain  number  of  scholars 
to  be  paid  for  whether  they  came  or  not,  and  the  patron  received 
some  credit  for  any  allowance  there  might  be  on  the  schedule.  The 
early  public  schools  of  the  graded  form  even  were  not  free.  Tuition 
was  paid  in  Jacksonville,  in  Peoria,  and  in  Springfield  for  some  time 
after  the  graded  methods  were  introduced.  The  one  idea,  educate 
the  people,  drew  those  pioneers  together,  and  all  the  questions  of 


12  HISTORY   OF   THE    II.I.INOIS 

how  were  yet  fresh  for  discussion  and  possessed  an  intense  vitality 
that  those  who  come  to  reap  the  fruits  x>f  others'  planting  cannot 
realize. 

Insurance  and  law,  as  well  as  death,  have  taken  off  some  who 
did  zealous  pioneer  work.  There  were  Tabor,  of  Aurora,  and  Hey- 
wood,  of  the  same  place,  and  now  I  find  my  memories  flashing  all 
about  till  I  will  drive  a  peg  at  the  war  and  dismiss  most  this  side  of 
it  as  modern  history.  C.  JEL  Dupee,  then  at  the  head  of  the  Chicago 
High  School,  has  not  been  known  by  this  generation  of  teachers,  but 
he  can  help  them  out  of  legal  difficulties.  D.  S.  Wentworth  still 
wears  the  armor  of  an  old  warrior.  W.  II.  Wells  yearns  for  schools 
enough  even  now  and  then  to  take  official  relation  to  them,  as  also 
does  J.  F.  Eberhart.  The  great  apostle  of  Egypt  is  known,  in  the 
benignant  name  of  Father  Roots,  to  the  present  teachers  who  do  not 
know  his  fighting  capacity  of  the  formative  days.  There  is  N.  C. 
Nason,  long  a  power,  not  known  by  his  face  to  half  so  many  as  read 
his  name  as  publisher,  for  many  years,  of  the  Illinois  Teacher, — a 
man  of  sound  education,  and  rare  taste  as  a  printer.  There  is  Wil- 
lard,  the  painstaking  professor  of  history  in  the  Chicago  High  School, 
who  helped  more  than  most  men  know  in  shaping  the  system  of  Illi- 
nois. There  was  J.  D.  Low,  first  principal  of  the  St.  Louis  High 
School,  superintendent  briefly  in  Springfield,  of  larger  influence  in 
•Illinois  than  to  be  measured  by  the  years  of  his  teaching  in  the 
State.  There  was  the  sturdy  A.  M.  Brooks,  whose  ratio  of  boys 
among  graduates,  in  Springfield,  has  been  rarely  excelled  in  any  sim- 
ilar school.  A.  M.  Gow  is  now  editing  a  paper  at  Washington, 
Pennsylvania.  James  Gow  edits  a  paper  and  raises  corn  in  Iowa. 
S.  H.  White,  a  hard-working,  devoted  man,  finds  his  long  form  valu- 
able in  overlooking  sheep  on  an  Iowa  prairie.*  President  Edwards 
was  known  to  us  as  of  St.  Louis,  when  war  came.  He  and  President 
Hewett  are  a  part  of  present,  as  well  as  of  former  history.  Matthew 
Andrew  and  J.  B.  Roberts  are  names  that  come  easily  together  as 
of  Galesburg,  where  one  still  does  good  service,  while  the  other 
teaches  yet  in  Indianapolis.  Trade,  especially  in  books,  has  taken 
some  strong  men,  as  Woodard  and  Cook,  who  both  sat  in  the  Legis- 
lature, and  Herrick,  who  did  not  sit  in  the  Legislature. 

Every  State  Superintendent  of  the  State  was  identified  with  the 
record  before  the  war.  J.  Y.  ]Sr.  Standisli  was  a  faithful  pioneer,  of 
whom  the  present  Association  sees  little.  There  were  B.  M.  Rey- 
nolds, of  Rock  Island,  HOW  of  Wisconsin,  the  earnest  Kelly,  of 
Whiteside,  Wescott,  most  wonderful  in  power  of  minute  investiga- 
tion, now  at  the  head  of  the  Racine  schools,  Dr.  Sewall,  now  in  Colo- 
rado, and  Ira  Moore,  now  of  Minnesota. 

The  Normal  School  was  just  beginning  to  show  its  results.    Your 


*Mr.  White  died  March  15, 1883. 


STATE    NORMAL  UNIVERSITY.  13 

presiding  officer  (Gastman)  and  P.  E.  "Walker,'  who  went  to  war  in 
the  Ninety-Second  Illinois  Mounted  Infantry,  and  Gove,  of  Denver, 
who  was  in  the  Thirty-Third  Illinois  Volunteers,  arid  Norton,  of  the 
California  Normal  School,  were  of  the  men  just  putting  their  hands 
to  the  work.  There  were  M.  L.  Seymour,  true  to  his  friends,  and 
"W.  B.  Powell,  who  has  won  distinction  at  home  and  abroad,  and 
almost  obliterated  the  memory  of  a  Powell  of  a  very  different  stock. 

And  there  were  many  more  doing  valiant  service  in  those  days, 
to  some  of  whom  apparent  injustice  may,  I  fear,  be  done.  In  a 
record  of  the  schools  many  names  will  have  high  position  which  were 
not  so  closely  identified  with  the  history  of  the  Association. 

Chicago  has  done  herself  honor  in  putting  the  grandest  old  bach- 
elor of  the  profession,  of  fine  scholarship,  and  very  long,  faithful 
service,  in  charge  of  her  schools.  It  needs  to  be  chronicled  as  an 
instance  of  public  recognition  of  such  service.  He  plead  the  sorrows 
of  woman  to  some  of  us  before  the  war,  and  the  women  in  the  Chi- 
cago schools  never  had  a  more  appreciative  friend. 

The  story  since  the  war  is  better  known,  but  those  who  know 
only  the  modern  history  know  very  little  of  the  days  when  personal 
pledges  of  work  and  of  money  were  the  means  to  secure  general  suc- 
cess. This  Association,  one  year,  paid  $1,500,  and  traveling  ex- 
penses, to  an  agent.  Pledges  to  The  Teacher  meant  something,  and 
among  all  the  demands  many  a  one  put  $25  and  $50  at  a  time  into 
the  funds.  Discussions  and  resolutions  only  pointed  the  way.  The 
great  school  opportunities  of  to-day  rest  upon  the  foundations  thus 
laid.  Will  the  teachers  and  the  people  of  to-day  work  with  so  much 
zeal  and  so  much  self-denial,  upon  the  superstructure?  Are  the 
teachers,  and  the  preachers,  and  the  people,  ready  for  the  labor,  and 
the  sacrifices,  and  the  self-denial,  that  shall  make  the  moral  and  the 
intellectual  growth  of  the  country  equal  the  marvelous  physical  devel- 
opment recorded  in  these  .census  reports  under  my  hand?  Labor, 
and  sacrifice,  and  self-denial,  laid  the  foundation,  and  they  are  needed 
for  solidity  in  the  progress  of  to-day. 

Yours,  very  heartily, 

JAS.  H.  BLODGETT. 


NORMAL  UNIVERSITY. 


ITS  LOCATION  AND  CONSTRUCTION. 

The  location  of  the  State  Normal  University  at  North  Blooming- 
ton,  May  7,  1857,  marks  a  period  of  history  that  is  not  only  impor- 
tant to  Normal  Township,  but  also  in  an  equal  degree  to  the  city  of 
Bloomington  and  McLean  County.  At  the  time  indicated,  Normal 
was  North  Bloomington,  or  "The  Junction,"  the  six  miles  square 
now  called  Normal,  not  having  been  named  until  after  the  location  of 
the  University,  its  first  existence  as  a  town  dating  from  April  6,  1858. 
The  early  history  of  the  Normal  Institution,  its  location,  its  first 
years  of  struggling  effort,  its  vigorous  childhood,  belong  to  Bloom- 
ington, and  this  sketch  is  as  well  calculated  to  honor  that  city  as  it  is 
fitted  to  reflect  credit  upon  Normal.  As  we  proceed  with  our  ac- 
count, we  shall  reach  a  period  when  the  newly-built  village  became 
in  reality  Normal,  with  a  definite  future  and  prospects  of  its  own, 
after  which  time,  its  acts  and  doings  shall  be  credited  to  the  proper 
source  as  zealously  as  its  most  earnest  friends  can  desire. 

We  might  state,  that  in  1857,  the  township  was  generally  occu- 
pied by  farmers,  the  village  of  North  Bloomington  having  been 
platted  and  a  few  houses  built,  but  to  alt  practical  intents,  the  entire 
township  was  simply  an  agricultural  district. 

The  Illinois  Central  and  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroads  were  fin- 
ished and  in  running  order  several  years  before  the  location  of  the 
University,  an  excursion  train  having  been  run  on  the  4th  day  of 
July,  1854,  from  Bloomington  to  Lexington.  The  cars  of  the  Illinois 
Central  passed  this  point  without  stopping,  from  May  23,  1853,  to 
the  time  of  the  completion  of  the  other  line.  It  was  thought,  in 
1852,  that  there  would  be  a  railroad  crossing  near  this  place,  and  after 
the  definite  location  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  line  through  the  western 
part  of  Bloomington,  in  1853,  the  point  of  the  junction  was  fixed. 
North  Bloomington  was  projected  and  platted  in  the  early  part  of 
1854.  There  was  a  sale  of  lots  on  the  15th  of  June,  1854,  at  which 
about  thirty  lots  sold  at  prices  ranging  between  $30  and  $50,  and 
public  attention  was  thus  attracted  to  the  new  town  of  North  Bloom- 
ington. The  sale  took  place  under  the  auspices  of  W.  F.  M.  Arny 


STATK  NORMAL  TMVKKSITY.  15 

&  Co.,  but  it  was  understood  that  Mr.  Jesse  "W.  Fell  was  the  moving 
spirit  in  the  enterprise. 

Iii  1855,  a  large  addition  was  made  to  North  Bloomington  by  a 
company  composed  of  Jesse  W.  Fell,  R.  R.  Landou,  L.  R.  Case,  C. 
W.  Holder,  and  L.  C.  Blakesly.  The  place  had  all  the  prospects 
common  to  a  railroad  "crossing,"  or  "junction,"  which  were  never 
very  brilliant,  when  it  is  considered  that  the  important  town  of 
Bloomington,  with  two  depots,  was  only  two  miles  away.  Here,  at 
the  point  of  greatest  natural  beauty,  Mr.  Jesse  W.  Fell  commenced, 
in  1855,  his  family  residence,  and  finished  it  the  next  year,  when  he 
made  it  his  permanent  home. 

In  the  enterprise  of  building  a  new  town  at  the  "Junction,"  he 
had  taken  into  partnership,  about  this  time,  the  several  gentlemen 
whose  names  we  have  given ;  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  there- 
after, acquired  from  them  nearly  the  whole  of  their  interests  in  the 
town  site. 

Mr.  Fell,  from  the  first,  had  plans  for  bringing  to  North  Bloom- 
ington something  more  than  the  ordinary  business  of  a  common  rail- 
road crossing.  He  intended  to  spare  no  effort  to  build  here  a  town 
that  should  have  for  its  characteristics,  sobriety,  morality,  good  soci- 
ety, and  all  the  elements  for  an  educational  center.  Previous  to  the 
passage  of  the  act  to  establish  a  Normal  University,  which  dates 
from  February  18,  1857,  Mr.  Fell  was  laboring,  with  some  prospects 
of  success,  to  establish  at  North  Bloomington  a  college  or  seminary 
of  learning,  and  was  in  correspondence  with  Hon.  Horace  Mann,  and 
others,  in  regard  to  the  matter.  Had  he  succeeded,  the  institution 
was  to  have  been  located  upon  Seminary  Block,  shown  on  the  plat  of 
North  Bloomington,  as  the  block  next  east  of  Mr.  Fell's  residence. 
This  particular  piece  of  ground,  at  that  time,  before  the  trees  and 
shrubbery  had  made  their  appearance,  commanded  a  fine  view  of  all 
the  land  in  the  neighborhood,  being  a  part  of  that  beautifully- 
rounded,  elevated  prairie  upon  which  Mr.  Fell  built  his  family  resi- 
dence. In  fact,  the  whole  tract  was  one  of  striking  beauty,  long 
before  North  Bloomington  was  projected,  in  the  days  when,  for  more 
than  a  mile  in  either  direction,  not  a  house  or  improvement  of  any 
kind  was  visible.  As  long  ago  as  in  1833,  when  on  his  way  to  what 
is  now  the  township  of  Money  Creek,  in  company  with  Mr.  Kimler, 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Blooming  Grove,  Mr.  Fell  rode  over  the 
beautiful  elevation  which  his  residence  now  occupies.  The  public 
highway  then  passed  in  that  vicinity.  It  was  early  in  the  morning, 
and  as  they  surveyed  the  beautiful  prairie  landscape,  Mr.  Fell  re- 
marked, what  a  fine  location  this  would  be,  at  some  day,  for  a  resi- 
dence. His  companion  replied  that  it  was  not  probable  any  one 
would  ever  be  fool  enough  to  build  at  such  a  great  distance  from  the 
timber,  echoing  thereby  the  common  sentiment  of  the  early  settlers. 
Over  twenty  years  after,  Mr.  Fell  built  his  family  residence  at  that 


16  HISTORY   OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

point,  and  commenced  to  plant  trees,  which,  in  a  little  more  than 
another  twenty  years,  have  made  at  that  location  the  most  beautiful 
grove,  or  park,  that  can  be  found  in  Central  Illinois,  and  he  has  lived 
to  see  the  prairie  landscape  converted  into  a  beautiful  village,  shaded 
by  many  thousand  trees  tastefully  adorning  the  whole.  We  question 
if  the  history  of  our  rapidly  growing  State  can  furnish  a  parallel,  a 
town  built  entirely  on  the  prairie,  and,  in  so  short  a  space  of  time,  to 
be  covered  with  more  large  trees  than  can  be  shown  in  most  cities  of 
older  growth,  though  they  were  built  on  land  originally  occupied  by 
those  grand  monarchs  of  the  forest,  which  the  early  settlers  delighted 
in  destroying  as  fast  as  possible. 

Mr.  Fell  took  a  remarkable  step  toward  bringing  to  the  new 
town  a  desirable  class  of  residents,  by  providing  in  all  deeds  to  pur- 
chasers of  lots  in  North  Bloomington,  that  intoxicating  liquors  should 
never  be  sold  on  the  premises;  and  this  stringent  prohibition  was 
afterward  re-enforced  by  a  town  charter,  which  was  intended  to  be 
entirely  prohibitory.  This  charter  needed  amendments,  however,  in 
1867,  to  make  it  as  fully  operative  as  the  inhabitants  desired,  and  a 
petition  was  circulated,  asking  the  Legislature  to  make  such  changes 
as  should  perpetually  restrain  the  town  or  city  authorities  from  ever 
licensing  the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors.  It  is  remarkable  that  this 
petition  was  signed  by  every  man  and  woman,  and  every  child  over 
seven  years  old,  in  a  town  which  then  contained  1,800  inhabitants. 
This  incident,  though  rather  out  of  the  proper  historical  order,  is  val- 
uable, as  we  thus  discover  that  the  foundations  for  the  gathering- 
together  of  a  very  superior  class  of  citizens,  were  laid  broad  and 
deep,  and  the  subsequent  character  of  Normal  can  be  traced  quite 
plainly  to  those  early  efforts.  North  Bloomington,  in  1857,  was 
barely  started — scarcely  known — called  indiscriminately  by  its  proper 
name,  or  the  "Junction;"  a  town  site  without  a  town,  ahd  no  special 
reason  for  its  existence.  There  was  one  inhabitant  previous  to  1855 ; 
this  was  Mr.  McCambridge,  whose  residence  was  at  the  crossing  of 
the  railroads,  where,  as  agent,  he  attended  to  all  the  interests  of  the 
railroad  lines  crossing  at  that  point.  Mr.  Fell  moved  into  his  resi- 
dence in  1856,  and,  during  the  year,  the  new  town  was  augmented  by 
the  arrival  of  L.  R.  Case  and  family,  and  a  few  others,  but  no  great 
growth  took  place  till  after  the  events  of  the  year  1857. 

Normal  Schools  were  new  in  the  West  at  that  time,  Illinois  being 
the  pioneer  in  this  grand  enterprise.  Massachusetts,  New  York,  and 
New  Jersey,  and  a  few  other  States,  had  inaugurated  Normal  Schools. 
None  of  them  were  equal  to  the  demands  of  the  times.  Still,  their 
success  had  been  such  as  to  warrant  the  public  in  expecting  that  insti- 
tutions for  the  education  and  training  of  teachers  of  our  common 
schools  would  aid  the  cause  of  education  to  a  desirable  degree.  Some 
of  the  ablest  friends  of  this  new  project  for  the  proper  education  of 
the  teachers  of  the  public  schools,  lived 'in  McLean  County,  among 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  17 

whom  we  might  mention  W.  F.  M.  Arny,  Jesse  W.  Fell,  Prof.  D. 
Wilkins,  and  J.  H.  Wickizer,  the  latter  being  member  of  the  Legis- 
lature from  this  district. 

The  public  mind  was  ripe  for  the  proper  appreciation  of  the 
needs,  designs,  and  scope  of  such  a  school,  although  even  its  own 
advocates  differed  somewhat  as  to  the  course  of  study  and  plans  for 
its  development. 

The  act  of  the  Legislature  provided  for  a  university,  although 
what  was  established  is,  in  fact,  a  Normal  School.  The  intention 
was  to  gather  around  the  new  institution  the  different  colleges, — class- 
ical, agricultural,  industrial,  law,  medical,  and  the  other  departments 
of  a  university, — until,  in  the  end,  the  State  should  have  here  a  grand 
university,  equal  to  any  in  the  land.  The  full  design  has  not  been 
carried  out,  but  there  are  many  who  still  have  hopes  that  the  future 
may  yet  see  its  realization. 

The  law  provided  a  Board  of  Education  of  the  State  of  Illinois, 
with  power  to  carry  into  effect  its  purposes.  This  Board  consisted  of 
N.  W.  Edwards,  of  Springfield;  W.  H.  Wells,  of  Chicago;  John  R. 
Eden,  Moultrie  County;  A.  R.  Shannon,  White  County;  Simeon 
Wright,  Lee  County;  W.  Sloan,  Pope  County;  George  Bunsen,  St. 
Clair  County;  George  P.  Rex,  Pike  County;  Charles  E.  Hovey, 
Peoria;  Daniel  Wilkins,  Bloomington ;  C.  B.  Denio,  Galena;  F. 
Mosely,  Chicago;  S.  W.  Moulton,  Shelby  County;  and  J.  Gillespie, 
Jasper  County.  This  Board  had  full  power,  and  it  was  made  their 
duty,  "to  fix  the  permanent  location  of  said  Normal  University  at 
the  place  where  the  most  favorable  inducements  are  offered  for  that 
purpose,  provided  that  such  location  shall  not  be  difficult  of  access, 
or  detrimental  to  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  said  Normal  Univer- 
sity." 

This  body  of  gentlemen  soon  organized,  and  it  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  receive  proposals  for  the  location  of  the  Normal  University, 
which  committee  published  notices  in  several  newspapers,  stating 
that  the  Board  would,  on  a  certain  specified  day,  open,  at  Peoria, 
all  bids  that  might  be  made. 

Several  cities  and  towns  entered  into  competition  for  what  was 
understood  to  be  a  valuable  prize.  That  the  value  of  the  new  insti- 
tution was  thoroughly  appreciated  by  the  inhabitants  of  Bloomington 
is  shown  by  the  following  extract  from  the  Bloomington  Pantagraph 
of  April  8,  1857,  then  edited  by  E.  J.  Lewis: 

The  adrantage^  to  be  conferred  by  such  an  institution  upon  the  place  of  its 
location  are  too  obvious  to  need  enlarging  upon.  Richly  endowed  from  a  government 
fund,  collecting  within  its  walls  every  year  the  flower  of  the  youth  of  every  part  of 
the  State,  and  organized  with  a  full  corps  of  the  ablest  instructors,  the  Normal  Uni- 
versity will  doubtless  take  rank  among  the  noblest  institutions  of  learning  in  the 
country,  and  give  to  the  town  which  contains  it  a  degree  of  prominence  at  home  and 
abroad  scarcely  second  to  that  enjoyed  by  the  State  capital  itself. 

In  the  light  of  subsequent  events,  how  prophetic  this  statement ! 


18  HISTORY   OF  THE   ILLINOIS 

Mr.  Fell  and  his  co-workers  did  not  rely  on  appeals  made 
through  the  public  press.  On  the  contrary,  they  were  willing  that 
the  competing  points  should  labor  under  the  impression  that  Bloom- 
ington  was  not  thoroughly  aroused.  These  gentlemen  labored  inces- 
santly with  individuals;  argued,  pictured,  pleaded,  taught,  both  by 
precept  and  example.  They  set  the  fashion  by  giving  liberal  sub- 
scriptions, and  so  far  succeeded  that  they  brought  the  amount  of 
donations,  in  land  and  money,  up  to  $50,000,  from  private  individ- 
uals. They  had  previously  obtained  a  pledge  from  the  members  of 
the  County  Commissioners'  Court,  A.  J.  Merriman,  of  Bloomington, 
Milton  Smith,  of  Pleasant  Hill,  and  H.  Buck,  of  LeRoy,  who  formed 
the  County  Court  at  that  time,  that  they  would  appropriate  from  the 
proceeds  of  the  swamp-lands  funds  an  amount  equal  to  that  sub- 
scribed by  individuals.  This  made  the  total  offer  $100,000,  and  it 
was  thought  amply  sufficient  to  secure  the  location. 

In  order  to  be  fully  aware  of  what  Peoria — the  principal  com- 
petitor— was  doing,  one  of  the  most  active  of  our  party  went  to  that 
city,  quietly,  and  rather  in  disguise,  dropped  into  a  back  seat  of  a 
meeting  of  the  County  Board,  held  in  aid  of  the  project,  mixed  with 
the  crowd  in  the  streets,  and,  in  various  ways,  learned  almost  exactly 
what  Peoria  was  preparing  to  offer.  Its  liberality  alarmed  him;  he 
returned  to  Bloomington,  arid  aroused  his  friends  to  still  further 
efforts.  Mr.  Fell  and  other  gentlemen  increased  their  subscriptions 
until  they  reached  $20,000,  or  $70,000  in  all.  The  County  Court 
was  speedily  called  together  again,  the  county's  part  increased  by 
§20,000,  and  when  the  final  effort  was  completed,  at  about  the  last 
day,  in  the  afternoon,  the  total  offer  amounted  to  $141,000,  made  up 
of  $70,000  from  the  first  proceeds  of  the  sales  of  McLean  County's 
swamp-land,  and  $71,000  in  money,  lands,  and  town  lots  from  indi- 
viduals. 

But  the  gross  amount  was  kept  a  profound  secret.  Mr.  Fell, 
and  a  very  few  others,  were  aware  of  the  total,  as  it  was  highly 
important  that  competing  points  should  remain  in  ignorance  until  too 
late  for  them  to  make  additional  subscriptions. 

On  the  7th  of  May,  1857,  the  State  Board  of  Education  met  at 
Peoria  to  open  the  bids  and  decide  upon  the  location.  The  first  offer 
was  that  of  Batavia.  This  bid  embraced  $15,000  in  money,  and  the 
land  and  buildings  of  the  Batavia  Institute.  There  were  between 
twenty  and  twenty-two  acres  of  the  land,  and  a  building  seventy  by 
fifty  feet,  three  stories  high,  the  whole  estimated  at  $30,000,  making 
Batavia's  bid,  in  effect,  $15,000.  The  citizens  pledged  themselves 
to  raise  $25,000,  in  order  to  pay  a  debt  of  $10,000  now  resting  on 
the  buildings,  and  to  give  the  sum  of  $15,000  for  the  Normal  Uni- 
versity direct.  There  were  several  propositions  from  Bloomington, 
six  sites  being  offered.  The  tract  of  160  acres  at  the  junction  was 
the  favorite,  and  the  particulars  of  that  proposition  were  as  follows: 


STATE   NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  19 

General  subscription, $  7,875 

Local  cash  subscription  for  Junction  site,     .....     25,850 
Real  estate:    IfiO  acres  land— 60  acres  at  $300  per  acre,  $18,000; 

100  acres  at  $200  per  acre,  $20.000, 38.000 

McLean  County  subscription, 70,000 

Total $141,725 

There  were  offered  also,  by  K.  H.  Fell,  thirty  acres  west  of 
Sugar  Creek;  by  Judge  Davis,  ten  acres,  near  his  residence;  by  Wil- 
liam Flagg,  ten  acres,  on  the  north  hill  above  the  city ;  by  Thomas, 
Young  &  Sears,  forty  acres  northeast  of  town ;  by  K.  H.  Fell  and 
John  J^icolls,  eighty  acres,  two  and  a  half  miles  east  of  the  city,  each 
of  these  on  condition  the  University  be  located  upon  them.  jBy  the 
citizens  of  Washington,  Tazewell  County,  and  the  Trustees  of  Wash- 
ington Academy  were  offered  $12,000  in  cash,  and  the  lot  430  by  120 
feet,  with  brick  building  47  by  62  feet,  and  three  stories  high,  of  said 
Academy,  in  said  town;  real  estate  at  $20,000,  making  the  bid 
$21,000.  Feoria  offered  in  money: 

Individual  subscription,          .......         $25,032 

City  Corporation, 10,000 

County  Board  of  Supervisors,         .        .  .        .        .  15,000 

Total, $50,032 

There  were  several  offers  of  land  for  sites.  Phelps,  Conklin  & 
Brady  offered  15  acres,  of  which  appraisements  were  unsettled,  the 
first  rating  it  at  $18,000,  the  second  at  $30,000;  the  twenty-acre  site 
was  valued  at  $20,000;  120  acres  two  miles  from  the  Court  House, 
at  $18,000;  200  acres  three  and  a  half  miles  from  the  Court  House, 
at  $20,000,  and  there  were  two  minor  offers.  Taking  the  highest 
valuation  of  the  principal  site,  the  total  bid  of  Peoria  was  $80,032. 

The  bid  of  McLean  County  was  so  far  ahead  of  Peoria,  the  next 
competitor,  that  the  Board  of  Education  located  the  Normal  Univer- 
sity in  accordance  with  the  conditions  of  the  subscription,  on  the  160 
acres  of  fine  rolling  land  within  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  the 
junction  of  the  Illinois  Central  and  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroads. 

Great  must  have  been  the  rejoicing  at  Bloomington  on  receipt  of 
the  glad  news  of  success,  after  a  contest  of  such  intensity;  but  we, 
who  look  back  over  twenty  years,  can  scarcely  imagine  the  interest  of 
the  occasion. 

The  Board  of  Education  made  the  location  upon  the  condition 
that  the  full  amount  of  the  McLean  County  subscription  of  $70,000 
should  be  legally  guaranteed  within  sixty  days,  in  default  of  which, 
the  location  was  to  be  made  at  Peoria.  They  employed  Abraham 
Lincoln  to  draw  up  a  form  of  bond  or  guaranty  to  be  signed  by  respon- 
sible citizens  of  Bloomington.  This  guaranty  is  a  matter  of  such 
historical  interest  that  we  produce  it  entire,  with  the  list  of  guaran- 
tors, prefacing  this  with  the  remark  that  this  bond  was  thought  to  be 
necessary  on  account  of  the  danger  that  a  future  County  Court  might 


HISTORY  OF  THE   ILLINOIS 


reconsider  the  appropriation,  and  the  further  doubt  whether  the 
swamp-lands  would  be  sold  for  cash  soon  enough  to  meet  contracts 
for  the  building  about  to  be  erected. 

GUARANTY. 

WHEREAS,  On  the  15th*  day  of  May,  1857,  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
Board  of  Education  of  the  State  of  Illinois  passed  a  resolution  in  the  words  and 
figures  following,  to- wit: 

"Resolved,  That  we  require  of  the  citizens  of  Bloomington  a  guaranty  that  the 
sum  of  $14,000  be  paid  on  the  1st  day  of  August  next,  and  the  further  sum  of  $14.000 
on  the  1st  day  of  November  next,  and  the  further  sum  of  $14,000  on  the  1st  day  of 
February  next,  and  the  further  sum  of  $14,000  on  the  1st  day  of  May  next,  and  the 
remaining  sum  of  $14,000  on  the  1st  day  of  August,  1858,  if  called  for  by  the  Board, 
to  enable  them  to  erect  the  building  of  the  Normal  University,  on  the  McLean  County 
subscription." 

Now,  therefore,  we,  the  undersigned,  in  consideration  that  the  said  McLean 
County  subscription  be  accepted  by  said  Board  of  Education,  and  the  said  Normal 
University  be  located  at  the  place  and  in  accordance  with  the  conditions  indicated  in 
and  by  said  McLean  County  subscription,  do  hereby  guarantee,  each,  to  the  extent  of 
the  sum  set  opposite  his  name,  and  no  further,  the  payment  to  said  Board  of  Educa- 
tion the  several  sums  specified  in  said  resolution,  and  to  be  made  at  the  times  therein 
required.  And  in  case  of  any  actual  default,  we  are  to  share  with  each  other,  pro 
rata,  according  to  the  several  sums  set  opposite  our  names. 

May  15,  1857. 


K.  H.  Fell,        ....  $5,000 

Jesse  W.  Fell,      .        .        .  5,000 

J.  E.  McClun,           .        .        .  5,000 

A.  B.  Shaffer,       .        .        .  5,000 

A.  Gridley 5,000 

George  Bruener,  .        .        .  1,000 

R.  R.  Landon,          .        .        .  5,000 

R.  Leach,      ....  500 

W.  McCullough,       .        .        .  3,000 

H.  Rounds,  ....  5,000 

George  Park,     ....  5,000 

J.  H.  Moore,         .        .        .  3,000 

A.  J.  Merriman,       .        .        .  1,000 

John  Dawson,       .        .        .  1,000 

William  R.  Chew,    ...  500 

A.  W.  Rogers,      ...  2,000 

E.  R.  Roe,        ....  500 

R.  T.  Stockton,     ...  500 

J.  C.  Walker,   ....  2,000 

J.  H.  Robinson,    .        .        .  1,000 

William  F.  Flagg,   .        .        .  5,000 

Overman  &  Mann,        .        .  1,000 

William  E.  Foote,    .        .        .  1,000 

D.  D.  Haggard,    .        .        .     '  500 

Denton  Young,         .         .        .  3,000 

W.  W.  Lusk,        .        .        .  3,000 

C.  Baker,           ....  3,000 

Joseph  Payne,      .        .        .  5,000 

M.  Pike,           ....  1,000 

S.  B.  Hance,         .        .        .  5,000 

C.  W.  Holder,          .        .        .  2,000 

S.  P.  Morehouse,          .        .  1,000 

N.  Dixon,         ....  1,000 

Charles  Roadnight,       .        .  5,000 

Franklin  Price,          .        .        .  3,000 


James  Bronson, 

Edward  D.  Benjamin, 

E.  W.  Bakewell,      . 

Dr.  H.  Schroader, 

H.  H.  Painter, 

H.  J.  Eager, 

Z.  Lawrence,     . 

John  Magoun, 

Leonard  Swett, 

James  Grover, 

A.  W.  Moore,  . 

0.  Ellsworth, 

L.  Bunn, 

Z.  S.  Hoover, 

S.  E.  Kenyon  &  Son, 

David  Brier, 

A.  Johnstone,   . 

R.  Thompson  &  Co., 

S.  G.  Fleming, 

C.  W.  Lander, 


$  500 
1,000 
5,000 
1,000 
3,000 
5.000 
2.000 
5,000 
3,000 
3,000 
3,000 
1,000 
1,000 
3,000 
1,000 
5,000 

500 
1,000 
1,000 

500 


John  Rouse,      ....       2,000 

S.  S.  Adolph,        .        .  .  1,000 

J.  C.  Slening,  .        .  .       1,000 

E.  H.  Rood.          .        .  .  1,000 

John  J.  Price,  ...  .       5,000 

Joseph  Ludington,        .  .  1,000 

0.  Rugg,           .  .        .  .1,000 

N.  B.  Heafer,        .        .  .  2,000 

Keays  &  Brother,  ...          500 

S.  Galagher,         .        .  .  1,000 

Birch  &  Brothers,  .        .  .       1,000 

Elihu  Rogers,        .        .  .  2,000 

E.  M.  Philips,  .        .  .       1,000 

J.  F.  Humphreys,         .  .  1,000 

C.  Wakefield,  .  .        .  .1,000 


STATE   NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  21 


William  W.  Orme,       .  .  5,000 

W.  W.  Lusk  &  Company,  .  5,000 

William  T.  Major,        .  .  5,000 

D.  L.  Crist,       ....  2,000 

Theron  Pardee,     .        .  .  5,000 

George  W.  Stipp,     .        .  .  5,000 

W.  H.  Temple,     .        .  .  3,000 


W.  Wyatt,  .  .  .  5,000 

A.  J.  Warner,  .  .  .       5,000 

J.  N.  Ward,  .  .  .  5,000 

E.  Hartry 5,000 

James  L.  Rice,  .  .  .  1,000 

W.  P.  Withers,  .  .  .1,000 

Jesse  Adams,  .  .  .  1,000 


James  Niccolls,         .        .        .       3,000 

Their  guaranty  was  never  enforced,  as  it  was  found  that  some  of 
the  lands  were  sold  for  cash,  others  on  credit,  and  the  proceeds  used 
in  the  building,  and  it  also  happened  there  was  no  trouble  about  the 
county  appropriation,  as  it  was  confirmed  by  the  new  court  in  the 
spring  of  1858.  This  new  court  consisted  of  a  Board  of  Supervisors, 
the  county  having  adopted  township  organization  at  the  fall  election 
in  1857.  This  guaranty,  however,  was  made  in  good  faith,  was  of 
great  value  at  the  time,  and  is  one  of  the  important  steps  taken  to 
secure  the  Normal  University. 

It  will  also  be  interesting  to  read  the  list  of  subscribers,  which 
we  give.  The  following  is  a  list  of  subscriptions  that  were  nearly  all 
given  with  the  single  condition  that  the  institution  should  be  located 
at  some  point  within  one  mile  of  the  corporate  limits  of  Bloomington: 

Jesse  W.  Fell,  $500,  payable  in  six  and  twelve  months  after  location  is  made; 
also,  ten  acres  for  site,  to  be  selected  anywhere,  valued  at  $2,000. 

C.  W.  Holder,  $200,  payable  in  six  and  twelve  months. 

S.  D.  Rounds.  $300,  payable  in  six  and  twelve  months. 

William  W.  Orme,  $100,  payable  in  six  and  twelve  months. 

R.  0.  Warriner,  $100,  payable  in  six  and  twelve  months  after  the  building  com- 
mences. 

A.  B.  Shaffer,  $600,  payable  in  six  and  twelve  months. 

Park  &  Brother.  $100,  payable  in  six  and  twelve  months. 

Robert  Leach,  $100,  payable  in  six  and  twelve  months. 

R.  R.  Landon,  $100,  payable  in  six  and  twelve  months. 

George  Dietrich,  $50,  payable  in  six  and  twelve  months. 

Leonard  Swett,  $100,  payable  in  six  and  twelve  months. 

W.  Thomas,  $100,  payable  in  six  and  twelve  months. 

A.  and  0.  Barnard,  $100,  payable  in  six  and  twelve  months. 

J.  E.  McClun,  $500,  in  real  estate  at  cash  prices. 

Isaac  Mitchell,  $50.  payable  in  six  and  twelve  months. 

William  E.  Foote.  $100,  payable  in  six  and  twelve  months. 

James  P.  Keen.  $100,  payable  in  six  and  twelve  months. 

S.  B.  Hance,  $100.  payable  in  six  and  twelve  months. 

Hance  &  Taylor,  $100,  payable  in  six  and  twelve  months. 

Cory  don  Weed,  $100,  payable  in  six  and  twelve  months. 

John  R.  Smith,  $50,  payable  in  six  and  twelve  months. 

R.  Y.  Stockton,  $50,  payable  in  six  and  twelve  months. 

0.  Ellsworth,  $100,  payable  in  six  and  twelve  months.        / 

Lewis  Bunn,  $100,  payable  in  eight  and  twelve  months. 

E.  Thorp,  Smith  &  Co.,  $100,  payable  in  six  and  twelve  months. 
John  Magoun,  $100,  payable  in  six  and  twelve  months. 

C.  P.  Merriman,  $50,  payable  in  six  and  twelve  months. 

F.  K.  Phoenix,  $100,  payable  in  one  and  two  years. 
F.  Price,  $100,  payable  in  one  and  two  years. 

E.  Thomas,  $200,  payable  in  one  and  two  years. 
Denton  Young,  $100,  payable  in  one  and  two  years. 
W.  W.  Taylor,  $200,  payable  in  one  and  two  years. 


22  HISTORY   OF   THE  ILLINOIS 

K.  P.  Taylor,  $150,  payable  in  one  and  two  years. 

K.  H.  Fell,  $100,  payable  in  good  notes,  to  be  made  payable  in  one  and  two  years 
from  the  1st  of  June  next,  provided  the  said  institution  is  located  within  two  miles  of 
the  corporate  limits  of  the  city  of  Bloomington. 

Jesse  W.  Fell,  $500,  payable  by  the  conveyance  of  100  acres  of  land,  of  average 
value,  in  Range  4  west,  or  Jackson  County,  111.,  on  completion  of  building. 

The  list  which  follows  is  made  up  principally  of  those  who  lim- 
ited their  subscription  to  a  location  within  three-fourths  of  a  mile  of 
the  junction  of  the  Illinois  Central  and  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroads. 
These  individuals  owned  land  in  North  Bloomington,  or  adjoining,  or 
near  by,  and  hence  had,  most  of  them,  a  direct  interest  in  the  loca- 
tion. Several  of  these  made  smaller  unconditional  subscriptions.  C. 
W.  Holder,  for  instance,  would  give  $200,  wherever  the  institution 
might  be  located,  and  $800  more  provided  North  Bloomington  were 
the  fortunate  point.  The  most  of  this,  with  that  in  the  preceding 
list,  was  limited,  practically,  to  the  site  which  was  chosen,  it  being 
within  one  mile  of  the  corporate  limits  of  Bloomington,  and  also  with- 
in three-fourths  of  a  mile  of  the  crossing  of  the  two  railroads: 

Jesse  W.  Fell,  $2,000  (including  a  subscription  of  $500  already  made),  payable 
in  one,  two,  three,  four,  and  five  years:  Provided,  not  less  than  $10,000  more  can  be 
added  to  this  subscription,  and  not  less  than  eighty  acres  of  land ;  the  first  $500  to  be 
expended  in  making  a  good  side  or  foot  walk  to  the  Junction  from  University. 

Swett  &  Orme,  $1,500  (including  a  subscription  of  $200  already  made),  payable 
in  one  and  two  years:  Provided,  not  less  than  $10,000  more  can  be  had  to  this  sub- 
scription, and  not  less  than  eighty  acres  of*land. 

C.  W.  Holder,  $1,000  (including  a  subscription  of  $200  already  made),  payable 
in  one  and  two  years:  Provided,  not  less  than  $10,000  more  can  be  had  to  this  sub- 
scription, and  not  less  than  eighty  acres  of  land. 

F.  K.  Phoenix,  $1,500  (including  a  subscription  of  $100  already  made),  payable 
one-half  in  nursery  stock  or  ornamental  planting  on  said  site,  and  the  balance  in  one 
and  two  years. 

R.  R.  Landon,  $1,000  (including  a  subscription  of  $100  already  made),  payable 
in  one  and  two  years. 

F.  Price,  $300  (including  a  subscription  of  $100  already  made),  payable  in  one 
and  two  years. 

Robert  Ulrich,  $300,  payable  in  one  and  two  years. 

William  Dooley,  $500,  payable  in  one  and  two  years. 

A.  Gridley  &  Co.,  $1,150,  dischargeable  by  a  conveyance  of  eleven  and  one-half 
acres  of  land  situated  in  North  Bloomington,  and  in  tracts  adjoining  on  the  north. 

John  Magoun,  $700  (including  a  subscription  of  $100  already  made),  payable  in 
one  and  two  years. 

William  Hill,  $400,  payable  in  one  and  two  years. 

0.  M.  Colman,  $1,000,  payable  in  one  or  two  years,  or  dischargeable  by  the  con- 
veyance, within  one  year,  of  ten  acres  of  land  in  North  Blooraington. 

Joshua  R.  Fell,  $500,  payable  in  one  or  two  years,  or  dischargeable  by  the  con- 
veyance, within  one  year,  of  five  acres  of  land  off  the  south  end  of  my  home  farm, 
east  of  the  railroad,  at  my  option. 

0.  T.  Reeves,  Jr.,  $500,  payable  in  one  and  two  years. 

Elihu  Rogers.  $500,  payable  in  one  and  two  years. 

William  E.  Foote,  $200  (including  $100  already  subscribed),  payable  in  one  and 
two  years. 

Robert  A.  Dalzell.  $250,  payable  in  one  and  two  years. 

Thomas  Junk,  $500,  payable  in  one  and  two  years,  or  dischargeable  by  the  con- 
veyance, within  one  year,  of  five  acres  of  land  in  the  northwest  corner  of  my  farm, 
at  my  option. 


STATE   NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  23 

• 

Norvel  Dixon,  $200,  payable  in  one  and  two  years :  Provided,  I  succeed  in  getting 
a  good  title  to  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  22,  Township  24  north,  Range  2  east. 

W.  W.  Taylor,  $600,  payable  in  one  and  two  years,  including  a  subscription 
already  made  of  $200. 

K.  P.  Taylor,  $500,  payable  in  one  and  two  years,  including  a  subscription  already 
made  of  $150. 

J.  S.  Walker,  $200,  payable  in  one  and  two  years,  if  located  on  the  Arny  property. 

Overman  &  Mann,  $1,200,  payable  in  one,  two,  and  three  years,  one-half  in  nur- 
sery stock,  hedging  and  ornamental  planting,  first  and  second  years;  and  balance 
cash,  second  and  third  years. 

L.  R.  Case,  $200,  payable  in  one  and  two  years  in  cash,  or  dischargeable  within 
one  year  by  the  conveyance  of  two  acres  of  ground  in  North  Bloomington,  and  adjoin- 
ing on  the  north,  at  my  option. 

K.  H.  Fell,  $500,  payable  in  notes  to  be  due  in  three  years  from  the  1st  of  June 
next. 

John  Rouse,  $200,  payable  in  one  and  two  years  from  the  1st  of  June  next. 

W.  H.  Allin,  $1,100,  payable  on  the  completion  of  the  building,  by  the  convey- 
ance of  the  following  lots:  Lot  7,  Block  1;  Lot  5,dBlock  2;  Lot  13,  Block  13;  Lots  14 
and  15,  Block  23;  and  Lot  9,  Block  24 — all  of  Western  Addition  to  Bloomington. 

William  T.  Major,  $600,  payable  on  the  completion  of  the  building,  by  a  con- 
veyance of  Lot  No.  One  (1),  Section  16,  Township  25,  R.  2  east,  containing  40  acres. 

George  P.  Howell,  $150,  payable  in  one,  two,  and  three  years,  equal  installments. 

Jesse  W.  Fell,  $7,000,  payable,  on  the  completion  of  the  University  Building,  by 
the  conveyance  of  1,450  a^res  of  my  Jackson  County  lands,  situated  in  Towns  8  and 
9  south,  Ranges  4  and  5  west  of  the  Third  Principal  Meridian,  and  to  be  of  average 
value  with  my  other  lands  in  said  townships,  to  be  selected  by  disinterested  persons. 

The  next  list  is  mostly  made  of  those  who  subscribed  on  condi- 
tion that  the  institution  should  be  located  at  some  point  within  three 
miles  of  the  corporate  limits  of  Bloomington. 

Dietrich  &  Bradner,  $200,  one-half  payable  in  nine  months  and  balance  in 
eighteen. 

Poston  &  Didlake,  $100,  one-half  payable  in  nine  months  and  balance  in  eight- 
teen. 

S.  P.  Morehouse,  $100,  one-half  payable  in  six  months  and  balance  in  twelve. 

D.  L.  Crist,  $100,  within  one  mile  of  Bloomington,  one-half  in  six  months,  bal- 
ance in  twelve  months,  and  $100  more  if  located  within  one  mile  of  Junction. 

A.  C.  Washburn,  $50. 

Harwood  &  Rugg.  $200,  one-half  payable  in  nine  months  and  balance  in  fifteen, 
if  located  one-half  mile  from  Junction. 

John  Denman,  $100,  on  condition  that  said  school  is  located  within  one  and  one- 
half  miles  of  Bloomington. 

E.  K.  Crothers,  $50,  one-half  in  nine  montlis  and  balance  in  one  year. 
R.  E.  Woodson,  $50,  one-half  in  six  months  and  balance  in  one  year. 

Thomas  Carlile,  $200,  one-half  in  six  months  and  balance  in  twelve  months,  if 
located  within  one  mile  of  the  corporate  limits. 
C.  Weed,  $500. 

Samuel  Watson,  $200,  in  one  and  two  years. 
0' Donald  &  Warner,  $300,  in  one  and  two  years. 
C.  W.  Lander,  $50. 
E.  Barber  &  Co.,  $50. 
R.  B.  Harris,  $25. 
A.  Steel,  $25. 

E.  Martin,  $100,  in  one  and  two  years. 
T.  J.  Karr,  $25. 

C.  Wakefield.  $50,  in  one  and  two  years. 
Giles  A.  Smith  &  Graham,  $50,  in  one  and  two  years. 
Samuel  Colvin,  $25. 
John  McMillan,  $25,  in  one  and  two  years. 


24  HISTORY    OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

A.  J.  Nason.  $25,  in  one  and  two  years. 
J.  Bronson,  $25,  in  one  and  two  years. 
A.  Sutton,  $25,  in  one  and  two  years. 
J.  W.  Lichenthaler,  $25,  in  one  and  two  years. 
J.  B.  Crouch,  $25,  in  one  and  two  years. 
K.  Thompson,  $25,  in  one  and  two  years. 
J.  W.  Moore.  $50,  in  one  and  two  years. 
Orin  Small,  $100,  in  one  and  two  years. 
James  Grpyer,  $100,  in  four  yearly  payments. 
E.  M.  Philips,  $100,  in  four  yearly  payments. 

The  subscriptions  in  this  last  list,  as  well  as  those  in  the  first  and 
second  classes,  were,  by  the  terms  of  their  subscription,  included 
among  the  donations  to  the  Normal  University. 

In  addition  to  the  above,  we  find  that  Joseph  Payne  and  Meshack 
Pike  donated  the  site  where  the  institution  was  located,  consisting  of 
about  sixty  acres,  with  enough  more  on  the  west  to  make  their  gift 
about  eighty  acres,  the  whole  valued  at  about  $22,000.  Mr.  E.  W. 
Bakewell  and  Judge  David  Davis,  each  gave  forty  acres,  valued,  to- 
gether, at  $16,000.  The  whole  of  the  last-mentioned  eighty  acres, 
and  some  of  the  other,  is  west  of  Main  "street,  and  is  the  land 
designed  to  be  used  by  the  agricultural  department  of  the  institution. 

The  list  we  have  given  speaks  for  itself.  It  is  a  record  of  liber- 
alty,  which,  at  the  time  it  was  made,  was  unparalled,  and  caused 
great  comment  all  over  the  country.  We  should  not  forget  that  the 
most  valuable  part  of  the  subscription — that  which  really  was  of  the 
most  solid  importance — was  the  county  subscription.  This  was  voted 
by  the  County  Commissioners — Judge  A.  J.  Merriman,  of  Blooming- 
ton,  and  his  Associates,  Hon.  Milton  Smith,  of  Pleasant  Hill,  and 
Hon.  H.  Buck,  of  LeRoy,  in  a  quiet,  almost  private  session,  with  no 
opportunity  to  consult  their  constituents. 

In  the  fall  of  1857,  these  gentlemen  were  all  re-elected  to  the 
same  positions;  and  when  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  in  the  following 
year,  ratified  their  proceedings,  appointing  A.  J.  Merriman  Swamp- 
Land  Commissioner,  it  was  seen  that  McLean  County  fully  sustained 
the  County  Court  in  its  disposition  of  so  large  a  portion  of  the 
swamp-land  funds. 

The  Board  of  Education  appointed  an  architect — George  P. 
Randall,  of  Chicago — who  prepared  plans  and  specifications,  upon 
which  bids  were  called  for  in  the  papers  of  Alton,  Galena,  Spring- 
field, Peoria,  Chicago,  and  Bloomington.  Fifteen  bids  were  made, 
ranging  in  price  from  $80,000  to  $115,000.  The  contract  was 
awarded  to  Mortimer  &  Loburg,  and  T.  H.  Soper,  of  Chicago,  for 
the  sum  of  $83,000,  the  work  to  be  completed  September  1,  1858. 
The  corner-stone  was  laid  September  29,  1857.  On  this  occasion 
there  was  quite  an  impressive  ceremony.  Rev.  H.  J.  Eddy,  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  of  Bloomington,  offered  a  prayer.  Prof.  D.  Wilkins 
read  a  letter  from  Gov.  Matteson,  appropriate  to  the  occasion.  W. 
H.  Powell,  State  School  Superintendent,  deposited  in  the  corner-stone 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  25 

a  copy  of  the  school  laws  and  of  the  different  educational  journals  of 
the  day. 

Mr.  Jesse  W.  Fell  deposited  a  list  of  all  the  contributors  to  the 
location  of  the  Normal,  and  hoped  to  see  the  institution  develop  into 
a  complete'  State  University,  with  a  model  farm  and  Agricultural 
College. 

I)r.  E.  R.  Roe,  the  editor  of  the  Illinois  Baptist,  deposited  all 
the  Bloomington  papers  of  the  time,  and  made  a  very  appropriate 
speech.  Judge  A.  J.  Merriman,  of  the  County  Court,  placed  the 
upper  stone  in  position  when  the  ceremony  was  completed. 

Before  winter,  quite  a  large  amount  of  work  had  been  done  upon 
the  stone  foundation  of  the  lower  story,  and  about  $30,000  was  ex- 
pended before  the  work  was  suspended  for  the  winter  season. 

The  financial  crisis  of  1857,  which  commenced  in  the  month  of 
September,  was  the  means  of  causing  a  discontinuance  of  the  work 
on  the  building.  The  county  lands  could  not  be  sold  for  cash ;  many 
of  the  subscribers  were  crippled,  and  it  was  thought  best  by  the  State 
Board  to  wait  a  few  years,  till  money  matters  might  become  easier, 
and  hence  the  buildings  were  not  fully  completed  until  the  early  part 
of  1861.  During  1859  and  1860,  the  work  was  pushed  with  sufficient 
vigor  to  see  the  building  inclosed  in  the  winter  of  1859,  and  far 
enough  advanced  so  that  the  graduating  exercises  of  the  first  class 
were  held  at  the  new  building  in  June,  1860. 

Temporary  rooms  had  been  secured  by  the  State  Board  at  Ma- 
jor's Hall,  in  Bloomington,  where,  on  the  5th  day  of  October,  1857, 
Charles  E.  Hovey,  Principal,  and  Ira  Moore,  Assistant,  opened  the 
Normal  School  with  29  pupils,  whose  numbers  increased  during  the 
academic  year  to  a  total  of  127.  Major's  Hall  continued  to  be  used 
until  the  fall  term  of  I860,  when  the  Normal  building  was  far  enough 
finished  to  be  occupied  by  the  entire  institution.  Several  of  the 
rooms  were  not  completed  till  late  in  the  winter,  at  which  time  the 
State  made  an  appropriation  of  $65,000  to  pay  debts  which  had  accu- 
mulated against  the  Board  of  Education.  The  building  cost  more 
than  the  sum  first  agreed  upon,  owing,  in  part,  to  advanced  cost  of 
materials.  Included  in  the  appropriation  is  a  large  sum  for  heating 
and  furnishing  the  building,  and  for  miscellaneous  matters.  A  por- 
tion of  this  money  was  lost  by  the  failure  of  so  many  banks  in  1861, 
and  for  other  reasons  it  was  found  necessary  for  the  next  Legislature 
to  appropriate  $35,000  more  before  the  debts  were  fully  paid.  The 
total  cost  of  the  building,  with  all  the  incidental  expenses,  and  the 
amount  asked  for  books  and  furniture  up  to  1863,  was  about 
$200,000;  but  had  the  building  been  completed  near  the  time  it  was 
started,  the  total  cost  would  probably  not  have  exceeded  $100,000, 
reckoning  simply  the  cost  of  the  building.  It  should  be  stated  that 
McLean  County  honorably  met  its  subscription  according  to  its  terms, 
and  that  nearly  all  the  private  individuals  paid,  though,  as  before 


26  HISTORY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

stated,  the  State  Board  of  Education  did  not  enforce  the  subscriptions 
at  the  time  most  of  them  were  payable. 


The  Normal  building  is  located  about  two  miles  north  of  the 
McLean  County  Court  House,  on  an  elevated  plateau,  commanding  a 
splendid  view  of  Bloomington  and  the  surrounding  country.  At  the 
time  of  its  erection,  the  adjacent  lands  were  principally  utilized  for 
agricultural  purposes;  but  since  that  time,  the  beautiful  suburban 
village  of  Normal,  with  its  elegant  villas,  lovely  parks,  classic  church 
spires,  and  wealth  of  flowers  and  shade  trees,  has  clustered  around  it, 
making  as  fine  a  combination  of  natural  and  artificial  landscapes  as 
can  be  found  in  the  entire  West. 

The  building  is  admirably  arranged  for  collegiate  use.  Its 
dimensions  are  160  feet  in  length;  the  end  wings  are  100  feet  in 
width,  and  the  central  portions,  80  feet.  The  distance  from  the  base- 
ment to  the  extreme  height  of  the  tower  is  140  feet.  The  basement 
is  divided  into  apartments,  used,  respectively,  as  a  chemical  and 
zoological  laboratory,  scientific  lecture  room,  and  dissecting  rooms. 
These  are  furnished  with  the  necessaries  for  thorough,  practical  tests 
and  demonstrations  in  the  various  branches.  The  remainder  of  the 
basement  is  occupied  by  the  janitor's  rooms  and  the  heating  appara- 
tus, hot  air  and  steam  being  both  utilized.  Here,  also,  may  be  found 
reels  of  hose,  connected  with  the  reservoir,  located  near  the  roof, 


STATE   NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  '27 

which  furnishes  sufficient  water-pressure  to  extinguish  any  ordinary 
outbreak  of  tire. 

The  first  floor  is  exactly  sym metrical  in  its  divisions,  the  adja- 
cent sides  and  opposite  ends  corresponding  precisely  with  each  other 
in  the  size  of  the  apartments.  The  north  side  is  divided  into  four 
recitation  rooms,  occupied  by  the  grammar  and  high  schools.  The 
corner  rooms  on  the  south  side  are  large,  convenient  dressing  rooms. 
The  primary  department  serves  as  a  training-school  for  teachers. 
Here,  the  pupils  of  the  Normal  Department  witness  the  theoretical, 
practical,  and  diciplinary  work  of  teaching,  demonstrated  by  Prof. 
Metcalf  and  his  assistants.  Pupils  are  required  to  take  charge  of 
primary  classes,  aifording  them  an  excellent  opportunity  to  put  into 
practice  the  theories  imbibed  by  observation.  The  reception  room, 
in  the  central  front,  is  a  neat  apartment,  carpeted  with  Brussels  and 
furnished  with  upholstered  chairs  and  sofas,  the  walls  hung  with 
portraits,  and,  on  one  side,  adorned  with  an  elegant  gilt-framed 
mirror. 

Ascending  to  the  second  floor,  we  find  the  assembly-rooms 
occupying  the  entire  width  of  the  building,  with  seats  and  desks  for 
270  pupils.  The  remainder  of  this  floor  is  divided  into  eight  recita- 
tion rooms,  the  library  and  reading  rooms.  The  library  contains 
about  one  thousand  four  hundred  volumes  of  choice,  standard 
reference-books.  The  reading  room  contains  files  of  prominent 
literary  and  news  journals. 

The  third  floor  contains  five  departments — the  museum,  Normal 
Hall,  and  the  two  society  rooms,  the  latter  occupying  the  west  end ; 
they  are  30  by  50  feet  each,  and  seat  250  persons.  They  are  similarly 
furnished,  each  with  a  well-selected  library,  a  piano,  and  other  appro- 
priate articles,  all  of  which  are  the  property  of  the  societies.  The 
Philadelphia!!  and  Wrightonians  hold  their  regular  literary  exercises 
once  a  week.  The  Normal  Hall  is  80  feet  square  and  20  feet  in 
width,  with  a  seating  capacity  of  about  800  persons.  The  museum 
occupies  the  east  end,  and  contains  a  very  valuable  collection,  of  great 
interest  to  the  student  as  well  as  interesting  to  visitors. 

When  the  Normal  building  was  ready  for  occupancy,  in  the  fall 
of  1860,  the  village  of  Normal  comprised  only  about  thirty  houses, 
and  a  large  number  of  the  students  resided  in  Bloomington  during 
the  first  two  years;  but  by  the  fall  of  1862,  there  were  enough  tene- 
ments to  accommodate  all  who  desired  board  at  Normal.  From  this 
time  forward,  the  number  of  permanent  residents  in  Normal  rapidly 
increased,  and  probably  the  year  1863  may  be  taken  as  the  time  when 
the  village  had  become  in  reality,  distinct  and  separate  from  Bloom- 
ington, with  definite  aims  of  its  own.  Houses  went  up  on  every  side, 
retail  stores  began  to  be  started,  and  Normal  was  a  town  of  1,000 
inhabitants  as  early  as  1865. 


28,.  HISTORY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  GEN.  C.  E.  HOVEY. 

(From  the  SCHOOLMASTER,  1869.) 


DEAR  WENTWORTH: 

You  say  "your  (my)  history  may  be  autobiographical  or  otherwise 
(let  it  be  otherwise),  for  I  know  lots  of  your  old  friends  who  would  be 
glad  to  do  you  the  honor,  if  you  would  furnish  the  facts  concerning 
your  early  life,  with  dates,  etc."  Said  history  to  occupy  "about  two 
pages  or  eleven  hundred  words. " 

Don't  you  think  that  limit  will  squeeze  the  story  dry  ? 

You  remember  the  cider-press  in  use  when  we  were  boys.  The 
pomace,  made  into  cheese,  and  bound  together  by  wisps  of  straw,  occu- 
pied a  liberal  space,  and  held  the  juice;  but  when  compressed  to  a 
pancake,  by  huge  wooden  screws,  the  cider  oozed  out. 

However,  these  are  the  facts  and  dates,  or  some  of  them. 

I  was  born  in  the  town  of  Thetford,  in  the  State  of  Vermont, 
sometime  during  the  twenty-sixth  day  of  April,  eighteen  hundred  and 
twenty-seven.  My  mother  was  a  Howard.  I  had  four  sisters  and  six 
brothers.  My  parents  called  me  Charles,  but,  after  a  while,  observing 
other  boys  had  two  Christian  names,  I  appropriated  Edward,  which, 
having  got  into  print,  has  adhered  since. 

At  or  about  the  age  of  seven,  I  was  sent  to  the  public  school, 
distant  some  two  miles.  The  "fragrant  birch"  grew  hard  by  the 
school  house,  and  was  held  in  high  esteem  by  the  "master,"  nor  did 
the  gentle  "mistress"  confine  her  admiration  wholly  to  the  beauty  of 
its  slender  twigs.  One  custom,  however,  operated  in  mitigation.  The 
victim  of  the  birch  was  usually  selected  to  fetch  the  stick,  and  if  he 
fetched  too  tough  an  one,  he  alone  had  to  answer  for  it.  So  there  were 
not  many  mistakes  made. 

In  that  old  school  house,  ornamented  with  curious  jackknife  carv- 
ings, I  met  my  ideal  teacher.  She  died  long  ago.  But  her  memory 
lives,  and  lingers  bright  as  ever;  and  her  image  conies  unbidden  to 
"my  mind's  eye,"  whenever  I  think  of  my  a  b  c's. 

My  father  was  a  farmer,  and  did  not  neglect  to  instruct  me  in  the 
the  principles  and  practice  of  his  art — especially  in  the  practice.  So  it 
came  to  pass  that,  up  to  the  age  of  fifteen,  the  farm  and  the  school 
house  bore  about  equal  sway.  I  preferred  work  to  study,  but  do  not 
now  recollect  to  have  had  any  great  liking  for  either. 

At  fifteen,  I  began  "to  keep"  school.  It  was  in  a  country  dis- 
trict, high  up  among  the  green  hills.  The  neighborhood  was  small, 
requiring  but  a  single  teacher,  and  it  happened  that  some  of  the  young 
folks  who  attended  the  school  were  seniors  to  me  in  age.  On  this 
account  the  committee  raised  an  objection;  but,  as  I  had  solved  their 
arithmetical  puzzles,  spelled  their  hard  words,  and  read  with  some 
fluency,  it  was  agreed  to  waive  the  objection  and  give  me  a  trial.  The 


STATE    NORMAL    I'M  VKKMTY.  '2^ 

fear  was  that  I  could  not  govern  the  big  boys;  nor  is  it  probable  I  could, 
had  not  the  big  girls  come  to  the  rescue;  and  the  "boarding  round" 
may  have  had  something  to  do  with  that  matter. 

I  had  stipulated  to  teach  the  school  for  nine  and  one-half  dollars  a 
month,  and  board;  but,  was  to  board  around  with  each  family  in  turn. 

I  cannot  tell  whether  this  custom  still  exists,  or  how  it  affected 
others;  but  it  subjected  me  to  many  and  ninny  adventures,  exposing  all 
sorts  of  secrets,  and  uncovering  hidden  views  of  such  social  institutions 
as  apple  parings,  sewing  circles,  and  match-making. 

The  thing,  however,  which  aifected  me  most,  outside  the  daily 
duties  of  the  school  room,  was  the  evening  spelling  school.  Nearly 
everybody  became  interested  and  attended.  There  was  contest  and 
victory  in  it.  The  boy  or  girl  who  ' '  spelled  down  "  all  others,  triumphed 
as  really  as  the  conqueror  at  the  Olympic  games;  and  when  the  rival 
school,  a  little  way  up  the  valley,  sent  do*wn  a  challenge,  and  one  of 
our  girls  out-spelled  them  all,  there  was  glory  enough.  Even  the 
1 ;  master "  came  in  for  a  share.  This  may  have  been  wrong;  it  certainly 
was  delightful.  I  noticed  that  girl  secured  her  choice  of  young  beaux 
from  and  after  that  event. 

I  was  next  employed  in  a  village  school,  on  a  salary  of  twenty 
dollars  a  month,  and  board.  This  was  in  1843,  and  when  the  Millerite, 
or  Second  Advent  mania  had  driven  whole  settlements  crazy.  From 
Friday  night  to  Monday  morning,  Mr.  Miller's  disciples  were  allowed  j 
the  use  of  the  school  house  for  meeting,  and  they  used  it  uninter- 
mittingly,  day  and  night.  These  saints  insisted  that  I  should  join  and 
yo  up  with  them;  but  were  quite  indifferent  about  the  progress  of  their 
children  in  knowledge;  nor  am  I  aware  that  they  made  any  great 
progress.  Nevertheless,  their  teacher  was  popular;  and  promoted  to  a 
more  important  school  for  a  third  trial. 

"  The  third  day  comes  a  frost,  a  killing  frost; 
And— when  he  thinks,  good  easy  man,  full  surely 
His  greatness  is  a  ripening — nips  his  root, 
And  then  he  falls  as  I  do  "  (did). 

I  had  ventured  too  far,  got  stranded,  and  was  taught  a  lesson  in 
adversity.  It  was  dictated  roughly,  with  the  moral  of  the  Scotchman's 
poem  about  a  louse,  in  a  church,  on  a  lady's  bonnet,  for  a  text: 

li  0  wad  some  power  the  giftie  gie  us 
To  see  ourselves  as  ithers  see  us 
It  wad  frae  mony  a  blunder  free  us 

An  foolish  notion." 

It  was  thought  I  lacked  the  "giftie,"  whereupon  the  parson  pro- 
ceeded to  inquire  privately;  the  critic  printed  his  notes  or  notions  in 
the  paper,  and  the  young  people  waxed  perverse  in  the  school  room. 
There  were  gusts  all  around;  and  the  gossips  ran  wild,  and  lost  their 
breath  in  the  hurry  to  spread  the  news.  It  began  with  omnious  looks 
and  whisperings,  social  ostracism  followed,  then  confidence  fled,  and 
both  sides  prepared  for  war. 


30  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

I  kept  that  schqol  through  to  the  last  hour  of  the  last  day  of  my 
engagement,  but  it  was  a  failure,  and  a  load  rolled  off  my  spirit,  when 
it  ended,  bigger  than  fell  from  the  back  of  Bunyan's  pilgrim. 

Sore  over  this  result,  and  suspecting  some  mistake  in  selecting  a 
calling,  I  escaped  to  the  woods  and  went  to  work  in  a  saw  mill;  and 
being  rather  tall,  but  not  rather  stout,  my  comrades  seemed  disposed 
to  disparage  my  ability  as  a  lumberman  almost  as  much  as  others  had  as 
a  pedagogue.  It  cost  a  great  effort  to  work  that  conceit  out  of  them; 
but  I  did  it,  taking  my  turn  at  felling  trees,  playing  Jehu,  tending  mill 
and  rafting  lumber.  I  had  to  learn  something  of  the  mill-right's 
trade  and  of  navigation.  It  was  an  absorbing  business  for  a  green 
hand,  but  it  could  not  exclude  the  "bitter  memory."  Again  and  again 
would  the  thought  of  failure  obtrude,  obstructing  all  consciousness  of 
the  great,  blind,  live  force  at  work  in  the  mill.  Again  and  again  did  some 
board  or  scantling  come  to  grief  in  the  same  way  as  bruin  did,  when 
he  undertook  to  dine,  sitting  on  a  log  which  was  moving  under  the  saw. 

Such  a  state  of  things  could  not  last  long,  and  did  not.  The 
lumberman  resumed  the  ferule,  and  rarely  afterwards  had  cause  of 
complaint  against  pupil,  parent  or  people. 

In  1848,  at  the  age  of  one  and  twenty,  I  was  admitted  to  Dart- 
mouth College,  and,  four  years  later,  graduated;  having  paid  expenses 
by  teaching  three  or  four  months  each  year. 

Now  came  the  election  of  a  profession.  I  preferred  the  law,  but 
was  tempted  away  to  another  calling.  Resolving  to  be  a  lawyer,  I 
became  a  teacher.  Looking  southward,  towards  the  Old  Bay  State, 
that  "paradise  of  pedagogues,"  I  "brought  up"  in  Framingham,  the 
most  charming  town  in  the  State.  The  people  were  highly  cultivated, 
the  students  of  the  Academy  and  High  school,  over  which  I  presided, 
were  wonderfully  intelligent,  and  the  preceptress  was  a  paragon  of  all 
the  graces.  You  may  have  seen  her.  She  sits  by  the  other  lain}), 
just  over  the  table,  quite  unconscious  of  what  I  am  saying.  Late  in  the 
autumn  of  1854,  I  emigrated  to  Peoria.  The  preceptress  went  with  me. 

When  I  reached  reoria  she  must  have  numbered  twelve  or  fifteen 
thousand  inhabitants.  Such  schools  as  she  had  were  "kept"  in  deserted 
breweries,  shanties,  cabins,  anything  which  furnished  an  excuse  for 
shelter  or  mimicked  a  house,  with  three  exceptions;  two  of  which  were 
private,  and  one  public. 

The  private  school  buildings  were  constructed  by  an  association  of 
the  more  intelligent  citizens,  mostly  of  northern  origin — one  for  males, 
and  one  for  females.  The  school  for  females  had  been  in  operation 
several  years  under  the  care  of  Miss  Sarah  Mathews,  a  most  excellent 
lady  and  teacher;  and  the  school  for  males  was  about  to  begin  in  charge 
of  ^'your  humble  servant"  and  the  "preceptress." 

The  public  school  building  referred  to  was  a  long,  narrow,  one 
story  brick,  whose  walls  were  fast  crumbling,  under  the  influence  of 
moisture  from  the  swampy  mud  hole  beside  which  it  stood. 


STATE   NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  31 

Here  Mr. was  monarch  of  all  he  surveyed,  the  great  man, 

"  Sir  Oracle,"  head  and  embodiment  of  the  current  ideas,  and  county 
superintendent  of  common  schools. 

To  his  mind,  things  educational  were  as  near  right  as  they  well 
could  be;  even  to  the  squalid  barrack,  where  he  held  his  court,  didn't 
seem  to  disturb  his  sense  of  aesthetics,  or  the  pool  to  oifend  any  sense 
nature  had  given  him.  He  exemplified  ideas  indigenous  to  southern 
and  servile  latitudes,  and  championed  the  chivalry.  He  was  a  Meth- 
odist, and  had  the  backing  of  that  compact  and  powerful  organization. 

I  found  in  Peoria,  also,  Dr.  J.  A.  Sewall,  sick  in  body  and  at 
heart,  and  Doty,  and  other  "lesser  lights." 

In  the  contest  about  school  matters,  "which  soon  opened,  Mr. 

stood  firmly  by  the  chivalry ;  I  fell  into  line  with  the  Yankees. 

Serving  in  a  private  school,  my  suggestions  in  regard  to  public 
schools  were  looked  upon  as  meddling,  and  were  sturdily  resented  by 
the  aforesaid  chivalry.  But  what  was  to  be  done  ?  Here  was  a  city 
already  rich  and  populous,  and  needing  no  prophet  to  tell  of  great 
expansion  in  the  near  future,  whose  school  buildings  were  execrable, 
whose  ideas  of  common  public  school  education  were  "villainous  low," 
and  whose  teachers  were  contemned  as  pedagogues  "  with  none  so 
poor  as  to  do  him  (them)  reverence." 

What  was  to  be  done  ?  Personally,  there  seemed  little  to  gain, 
and  much  to  lose.  I^had  a  comfortable  school  room,  a  very  good  class 
of  students,  and  a  liberal  salary;  but  I  could  not  escape  the  public 
schools,  if  I  would.  My  school  was  envied,  epitheted,  and  compared. 
It  was  the  rich  man's  school,  the  aristocrat's  school;  relied  upon  show 
and  clothes.  Mr.  —  -'s,  per  contra,  was  the  people's  school,  es- 
chewed all  show,  and  relied  upon  solid  merit.  was  a  great 

man;  Hovey,  "nix."  All  this  was  human  and  very  natural.  JEsop 
explained  it  centuries  ago,  in  his  fable  about  the  fox  and  the  grapes. 

But  what  was  to  be  done  ?  The  great,  serious  facts  kept  rising  up, 
and  would  not  down,  at  anybody's  bidding,  that  a  wrong  was  being 
perpetrated  upon  the  school  children  of  Peoria  for  a  want  of  proper 
school  facilities ;  that  there  was  no  proper  appreciation  of  public  duty 
in  regard  to  public  education  ;  that  there  was  no  suitable  public  spirit, 
or  buildings,  or  teachers ;  that  there  was  needed  some  sensible  system 
for  the  organization,  conduct,  and  support  of  the  schools  for  the  city. 

I  resolved  to  make  a  suggestion.  I  began  with  Mr.  A.  P.  Bart- 
lett,  president  of  the  association  of  citizens  who  employed  me.  He 
talked  with  his  associates;  we  all  talked  together;  Judge  Peters 
drafted  a  bill,  in  the  nature  of  an  amendment  to  the  city  charter.  It 
was  quietly  put  through  the  Legislature,  though  our  member  trembled 
for  his  head  for  doing  it.  But  these  citizens  agreed  to  back  him  in 
case  any  troubles  came  of  it — such  men  as  Hon.  A.  P.  Bartlett,  Judge 
Onslow  Peters,  Judge  Jacob  Gale,  Hon.  Jonathan  Cooper,  and  J.  W. 
Hansel,  Esq.  So  the  deed  was  done,  and  the  chivalry  woke  up  to 


32  HISTOKY   OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

find  themselves  superseded.  A  new  charter  was  in  force,  and  the 
chivalry  were  not.  But  they  didn't  see  it, — didn't  get  the  hang  of 
the  tiling, — didn't  scent  where  the  power  had  gone.  Meanwhile  those 
who  did  put  forward  a  ticket  of  good  and  true  men  for  the  School 
Board,  elected  them.  Pickett  edited  the  Republican  paper,  and 
Raney  the  Democratic  paper,  and  both  opened  their  columns  to  the 
friends  of  free  schools.  It  is  but  fair  to  say,  however,  that  Pickett 
had  by  far  the  best  appreciation  of  the  system,  and  did  it  the  greater 
service.  Largely  through  his  judicious  management, — through  what 
he  kept  out  quite  as  much  as  what  he  put  in  his  paper, — our  ticket 
was  elected  practically  without  opposition. 

The  chivalry  didn't  understand  it  even  then,  but  if  they  had  it 
would  have  been  too  late.  The  law  was  passed  and  gave  nearly  all 
power  to  the  School  Board.  The  Board  was  elected,  aiid  an  excellent 
one  it  was,  too,  with  Bartlett  at  the  head. 

The  private  school  buildings,  the  only  buildings  suitable  for 
school  purposes  in  the  city,  were  at  once  purchased,  and  in  one  of 
these  was  organized  a  high  school,  in  the  other  a  grammar  school. 
I  naturally  enough  fell  in  charge  of  the  former,  and  was  also  appointed 
superintendent  of  all  the  schools.  There  was  work  enough  to  be 
done — school  houses  to  be  built,  temporary  accommodations  to  be 
provided  meanwhile,  schools  to  be  organized,  courses  of  study  to  be 
mapped  out,  text-books  to  be  selected,  teachers  to  be  found,  tested, 
aided,  and  started  on  the  road  to  glory.  Lively  times  were  these. 
Night  and  day,  week-days  and  Sunday,  I  worked  on.  The  Board 
backed  me,  and  worked  and  planned  with  me,  and  without  me. 

New  school  houses  went  up,  teachers'  reputations  went  up, 
scholarship  went  up,  morals  went  up,  and  so  the  present  school 
system  of  Peoria  was  begotten,  born,  and  christened.  How  well  the 
bantling  has  thrived  since  I  am  not  able  to  say,  but  I  have  heard,  "as 
well  as  could  be  expected." 

Even  the  chivalry  have  got  the  hang  of  the  thing  at  last. 


I  have  stated  how  I  was  involved  in  the  public  schools  at  Peoria, 
and  what  came  of  it.  I  may  here  explain  some  matters  which  led  to 
other  changes. 

On  the  last  days  of  the  year  1854,  the  State  Teachers'  Association 
held,  in  Peoria,  its  second  meeting.  It  was  by  no  manner  of  means 
wholly  composed  of  or  controlled  by  teachers,  although  sailing  under 
their  colors.  It  was  a  wild,  western  gathering,  full  of  vim  and 
schemes — a  huge  grindstone,  on  which  each  man  who  had  an  axe  to 
grind,  ground  away,  or  tried  to.  (Bear  in  mind  that  these  are  recol- 
lections of  fifteen  years  ago.)  Among  actual  teachers  w-ere  Wright, 
Bateman,  Wentworth,  Brooks,  and  Wilkins.  Among  others,  many  of 
whom  had  been  teachers,  were  Turner,  Powell,  Eberhart,  Murray, 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  33 

Arny,  and,  among  distinguished  scholars  from  abroad,  Prof.  Charles 
Davies. 

Turner,  Murray  &  Co.  wanted  some  action  which  wonld  aid  them, 
at  Springfield,  to  gobble  up  the  College  and  Seminary  funds  of  the 
State  for  an  Industrial  University.  The  old  college  men  desired 
action  looking  to  the  distribution  of  these  funds  among  existing 
colleges.  Both  parties  suggested  Normal  Departments  as  a  lure  to 
the  friends  of  Normal  Schools. 

Arny  &  Co.  urged  a  manual  labor  scheme,  as  near  as  I  could 
understand  them,  volunteering  to  superintend  the  experiment,  if 
somebody  would  furnish  the  money.  The  member  from  Springfield 
insisted  that  phonetic  spelling  was  the*great  reform,  the  coming  event. 
The  member  at  large  waxed  eloquent  about  his  "chain  of  commercial 
colleges,"  and  challenged  debate — a  Stratton  strategy.  He  got,  what 
he  wanted,  advertised.  Several  gentlemen  intimated  a  willingness  to 
endure  an  endorsement  of  eminent  fitness  for  the  office  of  State 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

Several  publishers  of  text-books  hinted,  warily,  that  now  was  the 
time,  and  this  the  body,  to  render  a  signal  service  to  the  people  of 
Illinois,  by  recommending  their  wares  for  exclusive  use,  thereby 
securing  the  blessings  of  uniformity.  The  agents  of  said  publishers 
exhibited  surprising  tact  and  ability,  rising  even  to  the  plane  of  "grand 
strategy"  in  some  of  their  movements  to  capture  the  convention. 
They  were  clever,  obliging,  companionable,  and  had  there  been  but 
one,  he  would  certainly  have  got  my  vote;  but  as  there  were  a  score 
or  more,  a  vote  for  one  became  a  vote  against  nineteen,  and  could  not 
be  indulged.  As  well  might  a  man  be  expected  to  choose  between 
equally  bewitching  women. 

I  was  a  new  comer,  and,  for  the  most  part,  a  looker-on ;  and,  in 
truth,  vastly  taken  by  the  free  and  easy  way  these  people  had  of 
pushing  their  hobbies,  both  at  the  court  house  and  the  hotel;  and 
no  man  could  properly  appreciate  the  former  who  had  not  the  entree 
at  the  caucus  rooms,  in  the  latter.  I  was  a  stranger,  but  they  took 
me  in ;  and  once  in,  uncovered  the  situation. 

On  the  one  side  were  all  these  "reformers,"  not  peaceful,  but 
resolute  to  rule  the  Association,  and  seize  upon  its  power,  whatever  it 
might  be,  to  mould  public  opinion  and  legislation.  On  the  other, 
were  the  great  body  of  teachers  not  quite  prepared  to  ignore  the  ways 
of  the  fathers,  or  the  gathered  wisdom  of  years,  but  eager  to  adopt 
any  measure  which  promised  to  better  their  calling  or  themselves. 
They  didn't  appreciate,  or  if  they  did,  they  didn't  take  kindly,  the 
joke  of  playing  second  fiddle  to  Bronson  Murray,  W.  F.  N.  Arny, 
et  id  omne  genus.  True,  there  was  the  great-brained  Turner,  appar- 
ently leagued  with  these  men,  whom  all  delighted*  to  honor.  This 
man  we  could  follow.  He  was  of  us — had  been  a  life-long  teacher. 
He  was  the  orator  whose  tongue  uttered,  at  Granville,  in  Putnam 


34  HISTORY  OF  THE  ILLINOIS 

County,  the  outline  of  an  Industrial  University,  which  was  the  origin 
of  the  magnificent  institutions  now  springing  up  in  every  State  by  the 
munificence  of  Congress.  Had  he  stood  alone,  his  scheme  might 
have  prevailed;  but  he  did  not.  At  his  heels  howled  a  pack  of  self- 
seeking  zealots,  lacking  culture  and  modesty,  and  casting  a  shadow 
of  doubt  over  even  the  orator  himself.  So  it  happened  that  the 
hobbyists  were  not  pleased,  and  shaking  the  dust  from  their  feet, 
departed.  Nor  am  I  aware  that  they  ever  again  returned, — certainly 
not  in  such  force. 

One  project,  however,  did  prevail  at  Peoria.  It  was  agreed  nem. 
con.,  to  publish  a  monthly  journal,  to  be  called  the  Illinois  Teacher, 
as  the  "organ"  of  the  Association.  Wilkins  and  Arny  were  chosen 
local  and  managing  editors,  with  a  corps  of  monthly  editors,  and  the 
editor  of  the  Bloomington  Pantagraph  as  publisher.  A  thousand 
copies  were  subscribed  for  on  the  spot,  and  the  "organ"  started  off 
with  great  expectations.  A  year  later,  at  Springfield,  this  same  "organ" 
gave  its  friends  no  little  trouble.  It  had  not  proved  a  financial  suc- 
cess; was  not  elegant  as  a  work  of  the  printer's  art;  had  not  been 
issued  very  punctually,  nor  on  very  fine  paper;  the  monthly  editor 
was  not  regarded  with  favor,  and  no  one  was  satisfied.  I  may  as  well 
sa^  it  was  a  failure.  Those  who  had  been  more  directly  responsible 
felt  compromised.  It  was  clear  the  Association  did  not  care  to  have 
such  an  organ,  and  would  not  assume  financial  or  other  responsibility 
under  such  auspices.  But  some  there  were  who  liked  not  the  word 
failure,  and  resolved  not  to  have  it  thrust  upon  them.  Besides,  they 
believed  an  exclusively  professional  journal  was  needed.  They  held 
a  caucus  and  decided  that  the  Teacher  should  go  on,  and  that  I  should 
be  editor,  with  control  over  manner  and  matter,  and  should  be  priv- 
ileged to  pay  all  the  bills,  and  might  pocket  all  the  proceeds,  which, 
when  the  former  publisher  learned,  waked  the  spirit  of  prophecy 
within  him,  and  he  prophesied,  saying,  "If  Hovey  has  got  fifteen 
hundred  dollars  to  throw  away,  he  has  now  an  excellent  opportunity 
to  do  so." 

A  year  before  I  had  desired  this  office,  had  time  to  devote  to  it, 
and  fancied  the  business  would  suit  me,  and  I  it.  But  now  I  had  not 
the  time  to  spare,  and  was  not  a  little  fearful  lest  my  friends  should 
be  disappointed.  But  I  "waded  in"  and  swam  as  well  as  I  could. 
Luckily,  the  printer  was  a  man  of  rare  taste,  scholarship  and  business 
habits,  from  whose  eye  a  typographical  blunder  had  but  a  slender 
chance  of  escape,  who  used  new  type,  and  clean  white  paper,  and 
issued  "on  time."  Of  course  this  man  must  have  been  Nason — and 
Nason  it  was.  My  caucus  friends  "kept  the  faith,"  and  subscriptions 
came  tumbling  in  by  every  mail,  until  at  the  end-of  the  year  there 
was  money  enough  to  pay  all  the  bills,  and  I"  think  a  trifle  more.  The 
next  year  showed  a  balance  on  the  credit  side  also.  This  ^Teacher'1'1 
business  forced  attention  to  matters  outside  of  Peoria,  and  threw  upon 


STATE   NORMAL  UNIVERSITY.  35 

me  the  responsibility  of  advising  what  should  be  done.  In  procuring 
instructors  for  the  schools  in  Peoria  I  had  found  difficulty,  and  had 
been  compelled  to  go  abroad  for  them.  The  same  difficulty  existed 
elsewhere.  There  were  not  enough  well  qualified  teachers  in  the  State. 

The  discussions  at  Peoria  in  regard  to  the  College  and  Seminary 
funds  were  fresh  in  memory.  Why  could  not  these  funds  be  used  to 
endow  a  Normal  School?  I  could  find  no  valid  objection,  nor  did  any 
one  else  suggest  a  good  reason  why  they  could  not  be  so  used.  On 
the  other  hand,  those  teachers  with  whom,!  had  opportunity  to  confer, 
favored  the  idea,  and  it  is  likely  some  of  them  may  have  suggested  it 
to  me  originally.  Be  that  as  it  may,  I  approved  the  scheme  and 
fought  steadily  for  it,  with  the  quill,  on  the  stump,  and  in  the  lobby. 
At  Chicago,  the  Association  moved  in  the  matter,  and  appointed  a 
committee  to  visit  the  Legislature  and  urge  this  disposition  of  these 
funds.  Simeon  Wright  was  the  leading  man  of  this  committee,  and 
is  entitled  to  the  highest  credit.  I  should  weary  you  to  tell  how  the 
Normal  University  bill  was  finally  enacted  into  a  law ;  how  one  objec- 
tion after  another  was  removed  or  quieted,  and  how  the  great  stum- 
bling block — the  location — was  at  last  got  over,  by  leaving  it  to  com- 
petition and  the  Board.  But  the  fact  has  passed  into  history,  and 
I — pass  on. 

Peoria  and  Bloomington  were  the  leading  competitors  for  the 
location.  Peoria  made  the  best  cash  bid,  but  was  overborne  by  a 
swamp  land  grant  by  McLean  county. 

I  was  chosen  principal,  Mr.  Phelps,  then  of  the  New  Jersey 
Normal  School,  receiving  the  minority  vote. 

It  was  summer  in  1857.  I  accepted  the  office,  resigned  all  others, 
except  that  of  editor  of  the  Teacher,  and  gave  notice  that  I  should 
resign  that  as  soon  as  a  successor  could  be  chosen. 

[This  event  took  place  in  Decatur  the  following  Christinas,  after 
an  exciting  contest.  Bateman  and  Eberheart,  then,  as  now,  acknowl- 
edged leaders,  were  the  candidates.] 

Having  shaken  oif  •  other  occupations,  I  began  to  concentrate  all 
thoughts  upon  the  Normal.  Much  had  been  already  accomplished; 
the  live  teachers  were  its  friends;  the  Legislature  had  endowed  it; 
McLean  County  and  people  had  subscribed  a  site  and  fund  for  build- 
ing purposes;  it  was  nearly  half  founded. 

But  that  man  was  ignorant  of  interests  at  work  in  the  State,  who 
supposed  the  College  and  Seminary  funds  could  be  diverted  to  this 
purpose,  unchallenged.  These  interests  warred  against  the  passage 
of  the  Normal  University  act,  and  failing,  belittled  whatever  was 
done  under  it.  The  end  aimed  at  was  repeal. 

Large  numbers  of  men  opposed  educating  teachers  at  public  ex- 
pense ; — let  them  pay  for  their  education  like  other  people,  or  like 
men  preparing  for  other  callings.  McLean  County  was  overrun  with 
thinkers  of  this  sort.  Citizens,  respectable  in  numbers  and  intelli- 


36  HISTORY   OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

gence,  regarded  the  enterprise  as  an  experiment;  were  willing  to  be 
convinced,  but  would  take  nothing  on  trust.  Among  these  were 
eminent  lawyers. 

Enthusiastic  friends  looked  for  immediate  results.  In  vain  did 
we  plead  inability  to  beat  nature,  which  grows  not  men  from  babies 
in  a  day.  Something  telegraphic  had  been  promised,  and  must  be 
performed.  Some,  misled  by  the  name,  were  disappointed  not  to 
find  included  in  the  curriculum  all  branches  of  knowledge.  A  few 
expected  grand  discoveries  in  science,  such  as  would  add  to  the  sum 
of  human  knowledge;  and  savans  offered  their  services,  and  felt 
aggrieved  that  they  were  declined.  Inventors  and  manufacturers 

Eaid  their  devoirs  and  deposited  their  wares.     There  are  now,  or 
itely  were,  a  highly-finished  plow,  and  harrow,  and  roller,  and  horse- 
rake,  and  I  recall  not  what  other  implements — gifts  to  the  University. 
Many  suggestions  came  with  them,  and  proffers  of  service  to  explain 
their  peculiarities,  and  were  for  sale. 

No  one  will  know  how  I  was  besieged  with  advice  and  intimations. 
It  may  be  true  enough,  that  in  a  multitude  of  counsel  there  is  safety; 
but  it  does  not  follow  that  a  multitude  of  counselors  are  safe,  even  if 
Solomon  did  say  so. 

On  the  question  of  aims  and  ends,  of  what  should  be  done  or 
attempted,  there  was  a  difference  of  opinion  in  the  Board  itself. 

One  party  proposed  to  borrow  a  curriculum  from  existing  institu- 
tions— to  imitate  the  wise  men  of  the  east.  It  was  in  part  the  party 
which  proposed  to  borrow  a  man  of  that  longitude  for  principal. 

Another  party,  unwilling  to  snuff  out  "the  lamp  of  experience." 
did,  nevertheless  doubt  whether  all  possibility  of  progress  died  with 
"Father  Pierce,"  or  existed  only  at  Trenton.  Something  more  gen- 
erous and  broader  than  had  yet  been  achieved  was  deemed  possible, 
and  should  be  attempted.  These  ideas  and  expectations  were  by  no 
means  calculated  to  put  the  principal  at  ease,  for  upon  lu'm  would  fall 
the  task  of  realizing  them.  He  must  found  an  institution  for,  and 
entitled  to,  leadership.  Beside  these  parties,  individual  members  held 
individual  views. 

Good  old  Father  Bunsen,  learned  in  all  the  methods  and  courses 
of  study  and  of  training  in  Germany,  made  primary  education  his 
hobby;  and  I  will  do  him  the  justice  to  say.  was  master  of  it.  He 
was  an  enthusiastic  and  learned  Dutchman,  and  rode  his  hobby 
eternally.  It  was  the  beginning  and  ending  of  any  proper  system  -of 
Normal  training  (a  proposition  half  true,  certainly).  But  he  took 
mortal  offense  because  I  could  not,  or  would  not,  read  through  his 
spectacles,  and  once  even  introduced  to  the  Board  a  resolution  of 
inquiry,  looking  to  my  removal  from  office.  What  came  of  it  I  never 
knew. 

Xinian  Edwards  was  rather  ambitious  in  his  notions.  His  father 
had  been  Governor  of  the  State.  He  himself  had  heard  somewhere 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  67 

of  Oxford,  or  Cambridge,  and  was  chagrined  that  our  chief  officer 
should  be  styled  principal  instead  of  chancellor.  To  me  he  appeared 
to  be  a  little  "at  sea."  His  ideas  and  words  were  as  two  kernels  of 
wheat  to  two  bushels  of  chaff.  I  think  that  is  the  scriptural  way  of 
putting  it.  But  great  lawyers  are  not  required  to  be  great  in  even-thing. 

Father  Mosely  didn't  trouble  his  head  about  courses  of  study,  but 
was  nervous  to  learn  whether  my  salary,  which  he  had  fixed  at  $2,500 
per  annum  in  specie,  was  satisfactory;  id  est,  he  wanted,  through  the 
Board  to  be  himself  complimented  for  liberality.  I  am  afraid  I  was 
never  forgiven  the  stupidity  of  not  catching  his  drift.  But  let  that  ]  >a>s. 

The  general  scope  of  the  institution  and  a  course  of  study  having 
been  considered  informally,  and  a  committee  of  supervision  appointe<  I, 
the  whole  matter  was  handed  over  to  the  principal  to  be  put  in  form 
and  "put  through." 

Embarrassed  by  conflicting  counsels  and  extravagant  expectations, 
there  seemed  to  be  a  "right  smart  chance"  of  a  first-class  muddle. 
However,  as  the  smoke  blew  away,  I  was  able  to  map  the  work  to  be 
done  with  tolerable  accuracy,  and,  having  rented  a  hall  to  do  it  in, 
and  given  notice  of  the  day  for  beginning,  and  secured  Ira  Moore  and 
Cliarlton  T.  Lewis  as  associate  instructors,  began  to  feel  that  I  was 
getting  my  appropriate  work  well  in  hand,  nor  intended  to  be  drawn 
outside  of  it.  Almost  from  my  advent  in  the  State  I  had  lived  in  a 
hurry,  doing  double,  triple,  often  quadruple  duties.  Now  I  determined 
to  do  but  one.  'Twas  useless. 

"  There's  a  divinity  that  shapes  our  ends, 
Rough-hew  them  how  we  will." 

Scarcely  had  said  determination  been  recorded  when  I  was  startled 
by  the  presentation  of  a  plan  or  sketch  for  a  university,  by  a  member 
of  the  Board,  so  singularly  inappropriate  that  I  presume  its  adoption 
was  not  seriously  expected,  even  though  backed  by  a  strong  local 
influence.  But  the  bare  presentation  of  such,  a  plan  exposed  the 
importance  of  the  subject,  A  mistake  here  would  be  a  calamity. 

For  the  purpose,  therefore,  of  defeating  any  hasty  action,  quite  as 
much  as  of  killing  off  this  plan,  I  joined  Dr.  Rex  in  urging  the  pro- 
priety of  sending  a  committee  to  inspect  the  more  notable  school 
edifices  of  our  and  other  States.  Dr.  Rex,  as  chairman,  made  a 
careful  examination  of  the  school  architecture  in  Philadelphia,  Trenton, 
New  York  City,  Albany,  and  in  many  towns  of  Connecticut  and 
Massachusetts;  and  on  his  return  submitted  a  written  report  in  which 
I  concurred,  and  also  recommended  for  adoption  the  plans  of  the  New 
Jersey  Normal  School  Buildings,  in  which  I  did  not  concur.  I  was 
the  other  member  of  the  committee,  and,  although  I  had  seen  nearly 
all  the  prominent  edifices  in  the  country  for  educational  purposes,  or 
plans  of  them,  yet  IVnade  the  tour  and  studied  them  over  again.  It 
was  not  enough  to  select  the  best  existing  edifice,  and  model  after  that; 
and  if  it  had  been  I  should  still  have  non-concurred  in  the  Trenton 


38  HISTORY   OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

plans;  but  it  was  required  to  discover  the  best  plan,  existing  or  not,— 
in  matter  or  only  in  mind, — for  an  institution  such  as  we  were 
founding. 

Given,  five  hundred  adult  students:  required  to  find  how  to  con- 
struct an  edifice  wherein  they  could  be  comfortably  accommodated  and 
assembled  in  one  room  and  separated  therefrom  into  several  rooms,  or 
vice  versa,  in  the  least  possible  time  and  confusion,  and  with  the 
greatest  possible  ease.  That  was  the  problem.  It  was  not  proposed 
to  organize  or  conduct  the  institution  on  the  college  system,  in  which 
students  occupied — studied  in — their  private  rooms  exclusively,  and 
could  as  conveniently  go  from  these  to  one  place,  or  to  different  places, 
for  recitation  and  for  "prayers."  A  chapel  and  class  rooms,  whether 
adjacent  or  not,  satisfied  this  system.  The  class  rooms  might  as  well 
be,  and  often  were,  in  different  buildings  from  each  other,  and  from 
the  chapel.  Had  it  been  proposed  to  conduct  the  University  on  such 
a  system,  it  would  have  varied  the  problem. 

But  as  it  was,  whoever  will  take  the  trouble  to  examine  the  second 
story  of  the  Normal  University  building,  at  Normal,  will  find  my 
solution.  The  plan  of  that  story  was  the  seed  from  which  the  building 
grew — the  nucleus  around  which  the  architect  grouped  the  balance  of 
the  edifice.  The  building,  as  it  now  stands,  is  not  my  ideal,  nor  that 
of  Mr.  Randall's,  the  architect,  in  two  particulars.  Something  had  to 
be  yielded  to  secure  the  adoption  of  our  plan  over  that  of  Dr.  Rex, 
and  something  also  to  local  prejudice.  The  local  influence  will  be 
better  understood  by  recalling  the  fact  that  the  money  for  erecting  the 
building  had  been  subscribed  by,  and  was  expected  to  be  realized  from, 
McLean  County  and  her  people.  Hence,  the  very  natural  desire  on 
the  part  of  the  Board  to  conform  to  local  humor,  prejudice,  or  taste. 
The  two  departures  from  the  original  ideas  of  Mr.  Randall  and  myself 
— two  blunders  I  have  always  thought — were  these: 

1.  Placing  "Normal  Hall,"  the  third  story  hall,  over  the  main 
school  room.     This  change,  or  addition,  compelled  the  lowering  of 
the  ceiling  of  the  main  working  room  of  the  building,  which  should 
have  been  spacious,  airy*,  and  proportioned,  ten  or  twelve  feet,  and  the 
putting  into  it  of  columns  to  support  the  floor  above.     The  upper  hall 
hardly  compensates  for  these  blemishes. 

2.  Changing  the  belfry  tower  from  an  angle  to  the  center  of  the 
building.     This  change  was  made  in  deference  to  local  feeling,  but  in 
defiance   of  taste  and  architectural   effect.     Whoever  has   seen  the 
Smithsonian  building,  in  this  city,  will  understand  what  I  mean. 

It  is  not  unlikely  that  the  varied  relief  at  first  contemplated  would 
have  added  to  the  expense;  but  that  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  change, 
which  was  made  purely  in  deference  to  local  feeling,  but  in  deference 
to  local  ideas  of  taste,  and  possibly  of  grandeur.  * 

Further,  the  center  tower  has  nothing  to  roost  on  but  a  bridge; 
the  angle  tower  could  have  rested  upon  solid  ground.  There  might 


STATE  NOEMAL  UNIVERSITY.  39 

have  been  several  towers,  varied  in  form  and  size.  But  even  one 
would  have  suited  me  better  than  the  present  baseless  belfry. 

Saving  these  variations,  the  building,  as  it  now  stands,  fairly 
represents  my  ideas,  and  the  views  of  the  architect  Such  is  the  way 
the  plans  were  made,  modified,  and  finally  adopted. 

A  contract  was  at  once  entered  into  for  the  construction  of  the 
building,  and  work  vigorously  begun  in  the  fall  of  1857. 

I  went  back  to  the  school,  but  did  not  expect  to  have  much  to  do 
with  the  University  building  until  it  should  be  ready  for  occupation. 
The  sequel  will  show  how  I  was  disappointed. 


I  need  not  tell  how  Ira  Moore  and  I  began  to  instruct  a  score  or 
less  of  students  in  a  tumble-down  hall,  tumbled-up  on  the  top  of  a 
grocery  house,  at  an  out  of  the  way  corner,  in  the  city  of  Blooming- 
ton;  how  the  students  increased  in  numbers;  how  other  teachers 
were  added;  how  Mary  Brooks  "run"  the  experimental  school  (pri- 
mary), and  made  it  a  model;  how  said  hall  was  fitted  and  furnished 
and  grew  to  be  comfortable,  bating  the  surroundings;  how  here  we 
pursued  the  even  tenor  of  our  way,  biding  our  time;  for  these  things 
are  well  enough  known. 

But  there  came  a  time  when  we  were  not  permitted  to  go  on  in 
peace.  Questionings,  which  would  not  be  quieted  by  plain  answer- 
ings,  came  again  and  again.  I  tried  hard  to  bar  them  from  the  school 
room,  but  could  not.  The  great  fact  that  not  a  blow  had  been  struck 
on  the  University  building  for  eighteen  months,  was  known  to  every- 
body. It  acted  and  reacted  on  us  depressingly.  Were  we  to  remain 
cooped  up  in  Major's  Hall  forever?  Must  we,  after  flattering  the 
public  and  ourselves  with  the  grand  idea  of  a  model  school  in  a  model 
edifice,  confess  failure?  The  thought  was  wormwood,  and  the  fact,  if 
fact  it  should  prove  to  be,  was  full  of  peril.  We  had  carried  the 
Normal  School  bill  "  by  the  skin  of  our  teeth,"  and  who  knew  but  that 
the  opposition  might  rally  and  repeal  the  law,  armed  with  such  a 
failure,  to  carp  at.  • 

But  what  could  be  done?  We  had  neither  money  nor  credit. 
What  we  did  have,  applicable  to  building  purposes,  was  a  subscription 
which  could  not  then  be  gollected,  and  perhaps  never.  The  suspen- 
sion of  work  on  the  building,  in  December,  1857,  was  brought  about 
by  our  inability  to  collect,  from  this  subscription,  six  or  seven  thous- 
and dollars  to  pay  the  contractors  the  first  installment  due  them  on 
their  contract,  for  work  done.  They  reasoned,  and  sensibly,  that  if 
the  subscribers  to  the  building  fund,  in  the  first  flush  of  victory,  while 
yet  the  ink  was  hardly  dry  with  which  they  had  recorded  their 
"promise  to  pay,"  would  not  or  could  not  pay  seven  or  eight  thous- 
and, out  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  (I  use  round 
numbers,)  it  would  not  do  to  rely  upon  them,  or  their  subsciptions; 


40  HISTORY    OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

t,nd  the  sooner  they  (the  contractors)  stopped  work  the  better  it  would 
be  for  them.  So  they  stopped,  and  the  suspension  continued  until 
the  summer  of  1859 — more  than  a  year  and  a  half.  Meanwhile 
^natters  grew  worse.  A  great  financial  revulsion  had  swept  over  the 
country,  carrying  ruin  to  some  subscribers,  and  greatly  crippling 
others.  Moreover,  from  this  cause,  or  the  lapse  of  time,  or  some 
other  reason,  the  great  body  of  donors  seemed  to  carry  their  obliga- 
tion more  loosely,  if  possible,  than  at  first.  Some  who  had  sub- 
scribed lands  refused  to  deed  them  until  the  building  should  be  fully 
completed,  which  was  a  repudiation  of  their  subscription  so  far  as  any 
aid  in  erecting  the  building  was  concerned.  The  most  prominent  of 
these  was  David  Davis,  then  Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court,  and  now 
one  of  the  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.  His 
example  was  disastrous.  After  the  building  should  have  been  built, 
it  was  quite  immaterial  whether  he  deeded  his  land  or  not.  Every- 
body knew,  the  State,  in  the  end,  would  pay  all  necessary  bills.  The 
need  was  present  aid,  the  immediate  and  honest  payment  of  the  sub- 
scription,'on  the  faith  of  which  the  Board  had  located  the  institution 
in  McLean  County.  When  a  ship  is  once  launched,  it  will  float  itself, 
but  it  takes  power  to  launch  it.  Davis,  in  bad  faith  I  have  always 
thought,  refused  to  furnish  the  power  he  had  promised,  until  such 
time  as  it  should  not  be  needed.  And  yet  this  same  Judge  Davis  is 
reputed  to  be  worth  four  millions  of  dollars,  and  his  subscription  was 
only  forty  acres  of  land.  Adjoining  it,  a  comparatively  poor  man, 
Mr.  Bakewell,  gave  twice  as  much,  and  didn't  higgle  about  deeding 
it,  either. 

That  part  of  the  subscription  made  by  the  county  of  McLean  was 
undoubtedly  good,  but  remote.  It  was  payable  out  of  the  proceeds 
of  the  sales  of  her  swamp  lands.  These  lands  could  not,  by  law,  be 
sold  for  less  than  their  appraised  value,  and  would  not  then  sell  for 
that.  Of  course  there  were  no  proceeds,  and  nothing  due  on  her  sub- 
scription. This  subscription  was  seventy  thousand  dollars, — nearly 
one-half  the  entire  amount. 

What,  then,  was  the  situation  at  the  close  of  the  school  year,  in 
June,  1859?  We  had  got  a  charter,  a  fund  to  pay  teachers,  a  plan  for 
a  building,  and  a  subscription,  but  no  money  for  building  purposes. 

Mr.  Moore  might  have  stated  the  case,  so  far  as  relates  to  the 
building,  as  follows: 

Given,  a  sixty-acre  site,  a  plan  on  a  scale  of  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  and  and  an  unavailable  subscription  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars. 

\Reqnired,  to  construct  an  edifice,  in  pursuance  of  said  plan  out 
of  said  subscription. 

Could  it  be  done?  Of  course  nobody  but  a  Yankee  school-master 
would  be  fool  enough  to  undertake  it;  but  could  it  be  done,  if 
undertaken? 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  41 

You  ask,  Why  not  go  to  the  Legislature  for  funds  to  build  with? 
For  two  reasons: 

1.  "We  had  promised  not  to  do  so;  and  that  was  one  of  the  con- 
siderations which  secured  the  passage  of  the  Normal  University  act. 
We  could  not  "eat  our  own  words"  and  go  back  to  the  very  next 
Legislature  and   ask  for  more   money.      We  were   too   modest  for 
that 

2.  We  had  not  grown  strong  enough  to  risk  the  institution  in  the 
Legislature  at  that  time.     It  might  take  the  idea  into  its  head  to  modify, 
or  even  repeal  the  charter  itself.     We  needed  a  little  more  time  for 
development    and    results    before    going    again    to    Springfield    for 
money. 

If  the  people  of  Bloomington  and  McLean  county  could  not  or 
would  not  comply  with  their  obligations  and  pay  up,  why  not  change 
the  location  to  some  town  or  city  that  would? 

I  was  of  the  opinion  that  this  might  be  done.  But  there  were 
objections.  The  site  had  been  given  and  accepted  in  good  faith.  Some 
donors  had  complied  or  stood  ready  to  comply  with  the  terms  of  their 
subscriptions;  others  had  failed  only  because  of  financial  reverses 
beyond  their  control.  McLean  County  did  not  agree  to  pay  her  sub- 
scription until  she  should  obtain  the  money  therefor  by  the  sale  of  her 
swamp  lands;  and  this  subscription  alone  was  ^nearly  equal  to  the 
greatest  bonus  offered  elsewhere,  for  the  location — and  was  sure  to  be 
paid  some  time.  Under  these  circumstances,  the  suggestion  to  change 
the  location  to  some  other  county  could  not  be  maintained. 

When  the  Board  met,  therefore,  in  mid-summer  of  1859,  on 
occasion  of  the  annual  examination  and  commencement,  and  reviewed 
the  situation  of  affairs,  the  following  facts  were  found: 

1.  The  "Normal  University"  bill  became  a  law  on  the  18th  day, 
of  February,  1857. 

2.  The  interest  on  the  College  and  Seminary  rands  was,  by  said 
act,  set  apart  for  the  maintenance  of  said  University. 

3.  The  location  of  said  University  was  to  be  made  by  "the  Board 
of  Education  of  the  State  of  Illinois,"  where,  other  things  being  equal, 
the  largest  bonus  should  be  offered  therefor;  and  was  made  at  Is  ormal, 
in  McLean  County — said  county,  and  the  people  of  said  county,  having 
offered  the  biggest  bonus. 

4.  The  bonus,  or  subscription,  for  the  location  was  the  only  fund 
given  to  the  Board  for  the  erection  of  a  permanent  house,   or  home, 
for  the  institution. 

5.  A  plan  for  a  building  had  early  been  considered  and  agreed 
upon,  a  contract  for  construction  entered  into,  work  begun,  and  founda- 
tions laid,  in  1857. 

6.  Work  was  suspended  in  December  of  said  vear,  because  of 
the  inability  of  the  Board  to  pay  the  contractors  the  nrst  payment  on 
their  contract,  as  it  fell  due. 


42  HISTORY   OK   THE    ILLINOIS 

7.  Said  suspension  continued  during  all  of  1858,  and  half  of  1859. 

8.  During  this  interval  the  availability  of  the  subscriptions  had 
considerably  deteriorated. 

9.  A  distinguished  judge,  and  a  few  others  moved  by  his  example, 
refused  to  pay  his   subscription   until   after  the   completion   of  the 
building;  that  is,  until  it  was  not  needed. 

10.  McLean  County's  subscription  was,   at  present,  unavailable, 
unless,  indeed,  it  could  be  used  as  collateral  on  which  to  borrow  money. 

11.  Nobody  had  yet  been  found  willing  to  lend  money  to  the 
Board  on  that  or  any  other  collateral,  or  on  any  terms  which  the  Board 
could  offer. 

12.  In  January,  1859,  two  years  after  the  passage  of  the  Univer- 
sity act,  and   during  the   suspension  of  work  on   the  building,   the 
Legislature  met,  but  it  had  not  been  deemed  advisable,  by  the  Board, 
to  ask  of  it  farther  aid  at  that  time. 

13.  The  proposition  to  change  the  location  to  some  other  place, 
in  the  hope  of  getting  money  to  build  with,  was  decided  to  be  unwise. 

14.  The  Legislature  would  not  meet  again  until  January,  1861. 

15.  We  could  not  aiford  to  wait,  in  temporary  quarters,  until  that 
time,  nor  to  risk  the  effect  of  failure  to  provide  a  suitable  edifice,  for 
four  years  after  the  inauguration  of  the  institution. 

16.  We  were,   therefore,   remitted   to  the  subscription,   and  it 
alone,  for  means  to  build  a  permanent  and  creditable  house;    and  we 
believed  a  failure  to  erect  speedily  such  a  house  would  peril  the  whole 
enterprise. 

With  such  a  retrospect  and  prospect,  with  growing  doubt  in  the 
public  mind,  and  restlessness  in  the  school,  the  Board  might  cer- 
tainly be  pardoned  for  an  occasional  out-look  for  breakers  ahead. 

But  what  did' they  do? 

You  remember  what  the  Roman  Senators  did  when  the  Republic 
was  seriously  menaced.  They  chose  a  dictator  and  ordered  him  to 
see  that  the  Republic  received  no  harm.  [IVe  quid  detrimenti  res- 
publica,  capiat.~\ 

So  comparing  small  things  with  great,  our  Board  made  its  Build- 
ing Committee  dictator,  and  decreed  that  it  should  take  care  that  the 
University  received  no  detriment;  in  other  words,  that  the  building 
should  be  constructed  anyhow  and  now — and  said  committee  should 
do  it. 

I  was  the  local  member  of  the  committee,  and  for  about  twenty- 
nine  days  in  each  month,  the  only  member  'comeatable,'  and  of 
necessity  was  compelled  to  act  for  the  committee. 

Never  did  man  have  wosse  means,  or  better  backing.  I  remem- 
ber especially  Messrs.  Moulton,  Powell,  Wright,  Denio,  and  Rex,  as 
taking  a  decided  interest,  and  a  full  share  of  responsibility.  They 
would  leave  their  own  business  at  any  time,  on  call,  and  repair  to 
Normal.  Powell  spent  months  there.  Moulton  joined  me  on  notes 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  43 

to  borrow  money  for  the  work,  on  our  individual  responsibility. 
Rex  came  to  the  rescue  in  1861,  when  our  treasurer  got  timid  and 
refused  to  handle  the  money,  just  appropriated  by  the  Legislature, 
for  fear  bills  of  broken  banks  might  get  into  his  custody.  But  I 
must  not  delay  upon  others.  It  is  a  long  story,  and  would  weary 
us  both. 

The  first  step  was  to  get  clear  of  existing  contracts,  based  upon 
cash  payments,  because  we  had  no  cash. 

The  second,  to  substitute  other  contracts,  based  upon  barter — so 
much  subsciption  for  so  much  work  or  material. 

The  third,  to  accept  labor  or  material  of  subscribers  who  could 
not  pay  money,  but  could  pay  these. 

The  fourth,  to  compromise  with  those  not  able  to  pay  all,  for 
a  part. 

It  was  purely  a  matter  of  barter.  We  traded,  "made  turns," 
compromised  and  got  all  out  of  the  subscription  there  was  in  it,  then 
laid  it  aside. 

Such  is  a  general  statement  of  the  case.  But,  perhaps,  it  does 
not  satisfy  a  reasonable  curiosity  to  know  some  of  the  particulars. 
How  was  all  this  done,  and  who  did  it  ? 

To  the  last  Ifalf  of  the  question,  I  answer,  the  Building  Com- 
mittee; but  "how"  will  take  more  than  three  words  to  tell. 

1.     How  we  got  our  first  start: 

The  Board  authorized  the  sending  of  an  agent  east  to  effect,  if 
possible,  a  sale  of  the  county  lands,  and  thereby  hasten  the  payment 
of  the  county  subscription.  It  was  intended  and  expected,  by  the 
Board,  that  the  State  Treasurer,  Mr.  Miller,  a  resident  of  Blooming- 
ton,  and  well  acquainted  with  the  lands  and  their  value,  would  be  the 
agent.  It  was  believed  his  knowledge,  wealth,  and  office  would  give 
him  influence  enough  to  find  a  purchaser.  But  he  would  not  go,  or 
have  anything  whatever  to  do  in  the  matter.  Other  "solid"  men 
were  applied  to,  but  would  not  go.  They  seemed  quite  unaccountably 
tender  of  touching  these  lands  or  our  subscription.  I  had  faith  that 
somebody  could  be  found  to  buy  these  lands;  and,  inasmuch  as  the 
"Honorable"  men  and  the  "rich"  men  would  not  undertake  to 
find  said  somebody,  I  concluded  to  try  "Young  America." 

At  that  time,  C.  M.  Cady,  Esq.,  was  instructor  in  vocal  culture 
in  the  University,  a  man  of  tact  and  pluck,  and  not  afflicted  with  any 
serious  tenderness  about  investing  his  skill  in  an  attempt  to  negotiate 
the  sale  of  the  county  lands.  So  to  Gotham  he  went,  with  a  list  and 
description  of  the  lands  in  his  pocket.  He  made  something  of  a  stir 
there,  I  judge,  from  the  letters  of  inquiry  which,  soon  after  his 
arrival,  b'egan  to  come  by  every  mail.  But  he  needed  something 
more  than  a  list  of  the  lands.  He  could  do  nothing  without  the 
bonds  for  deeds  which  could  be  passed  by  simple  endorsement.  With 
these  he  could  effect  a  sale,  in  fact,  had  virtually  done  so  already. 


44  HISTORY    UK    THE    ILLINOIS 

I  tried  to  get  the  bonds  from  the  county  authorities,  but  could 
not.  They  would  enter  into  no  transaction,  save  only  to  sell  the 
lands.  There  was  one  way  in  which  I  could  comply  with  Cady's 
suggestion.  I  could  buy  the  lands  myself,  paying  for  them  by  a 
small  cash  advance,  and  the  balance  by  time  notes,  and  could  take 
the  bonds  and  do  what  I  pleased  with  them.  As  this  was  the  only 
path,  I  walked  into  it,  and  bought  seven  or  eight  thousand  acres  of 
the  land,  at  a  cost  of  twenty-five  or  thirty  thousand  dollars.  The 
purchase  was  made  in  the  interest  of,  and  intended  for,  the  Board, 
but  without  any  authority,  and  it  was  never* recognized.  I  had  to 
shoulder  the  whole  transaction.  My  notes,  to  the  amount  of  twenty- 
five  thousand  dollars,  or  thereabout,  were  turned  over  to  the  treas- 
urer of  the  Board  by  the  county,  in  part  payment  of  her  subscription; 
and  the  Building  Committee  paid  them  to  A,  B,  and  C,  for  labor  or 
material.  So  they  became  widely  scattered  and  gave  me  a  "heap" 
of  trouble  to  take  them  up  as  they  fell  due. 

But  I  got  the  bonds,  and  notified  Cady.  Meanwhile,  the  parties 
with  whom  he  had  been  negotiating  failed,  and  the  bargain  fell 
through;  nor  did  he  succeed  in  finding  another  purchaser.  I  was 
now  in  a  fix.  As  Deacon  Homespun,  or  some  other  wise  man,  said, 
or  might  have  said,  "I  had  brought  my  pigs  to  a  fine  market."  I 
could  boast  of  numerous  broad  acres  of  swamp  land,  which  nobody 
would  buy,  and  for  which  I  was  in  debt,  and  had  nothing  to  pay. 
Besides,  the  transaction,  in  the  turn  it  had  taken,  pretty  clearly  im- 
peached my  discretion,  and  might  involve  my  honor.  At  any  rate,  it 
was  a  delicate  matter,  for  my  notes  were  held  by  the  Board,  and 
should  they  fail  to  be  paid  promptly,  or  not  to  be  paid  at  all,  the  Board 
would  have  cause  to  complain  of  my  unauthorized  and  rash  purchase. 

But,  however  it  may  have  affected  and  embarrassed  me,  it  proved 
a  Godsend  to  the  University.  The  sale  got  noised  about  as  a  big 
speculation.  Over  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  worth  of  the  county 
lands  had  been  bought  up  by  one  party.  (Mum  about  the  party.) 
The  transaction  grew  on  every  tongue,  and  soon  reached  colossal 
proportions.  There  must  be  something  in  these  lands,  after  all. 
(And  they  will  soon  be  gone,  I  took  care  to  have  suggested. )  The 
wave  was  rising.  Through  Powell,  we  got  the  State  officers  at 
Springfield  to  invest  (Hatch,  Dubois,  and  Miller),  and  took  good 
care  to  have  this  fact  related  to  Madam  Rumor,  who  forthwith  spread 
it  through  all  the  country  round.  Others  took  heart  and  bought 
lands;  nor  was  it  long  before  the  funds  in  the  treasury  enabled  us  to 
begin  operations. 

2.     How  we  proceeded : 

We  paid  off  Mortimer  &  Loberg,  the  contractors  for  the  mason 
work,  and  they  surrendered  their  contract.  Mr.  Soper,  the  contractor 
for  the  carpenter  work,  elected  to  retain  his  contract,  go  on  with  the 
job,  and  take  his  chances  about  getting  his  pay. 


STATK    NOKMAL    UNIVERSITY.  45 

It  was  now  necessary  to  find  some  mason  who  would  undertake 
the  construction  of  the  walls  of  the  building,  and  take  his  pay  in  the 
subscription.  A  man  who  could  and  would  do  this  was  hard  to  find. 
But  by  dint  of  much  talk,  of  appeals  to  local  pride  and  interest,  and 
aided  by  the  eclat  of  the  recent  sales  of  the  county  lands,  we  found 
him  in  the  person  of  S.  D.  Rounds,  Esq.  He  exacted  the  k'pick"  of 
our  assets,  and  took  the  cream  of  the  subscription,  leaving  the  skim- 
milk,  and  not  much  of  it,  to  pay  the  carpenter,  painter,  plumber,  and 
plasterer.  But  it  was  the  best  we  could  do,  and  we  did  it.  Even 
with  this  choice,  the  mason  found  great  difficulty  in  completing  his 
job;  and,  although  he  succeeded,  the  walls  crept  up  at  a  snail's  pace, 
sometimes  forgetting  to  creep  at  all  for  many  weeks  together,  so  that 
the  heart  grew  sick  at  hope  deferred. 

It  was  absolutely  necessary  to  provide  some  money.  Work 
could  not  go  on  without  it.  It  could  not  be  obtained  on  the  credit  of 
the  Board.  That  matter  was  fully  tested.  Nor  could  it  be  obtained 
on  private  notes,  based  for  security  on  the  assets  of  the  Board.  There 
was  but  one  way.  The  friends  of  the  institution  must  loan  it  money 
or  credit.  At  first  Moulton  and  I  borrowed  a  few  thousand  dollars, 
which  was  soon  gone.  Then  Messrs.  Fell  and  Holder  came  forward 
and  put  their  names  to  paper  on  which  we  got  more  money,  and  in 
this  way,  from  time  to  time,  when  hard  pushed,  money  was  raised.  I 
remember  especially  in  this  connection,  Jesse  and  Kersey  Fell,  and 
Charles  and  Richard  Holder.  Without  them  I  see  not  how  we  could 
have  succeeded. 

I  next  went  among  the  merchants  of  Bloomingtou,  and  told 
them  I  would  be  personally  responsible  that  they  should  be  paid  out 
of  the  first  money  the  Board  should  receive  for  building  purposes,  if 
they  would  supply  our  carpenter,  Mr.  Soper,  with  what  he  needed,  on 
» credit.  The  Legislature  was  to  meet  the  ensuing  January,  and  I 
told  them  it  would  appropriate  for  any  deficiency  there  might  be  in 
the  means  to  build  the  University  building,  and  that  they  should 
have  their  pay  out  of  said  appropriation.  So  much  I  pledged.  They 
consented,  and  by  this  arrangement  Mr.  Soper  was  enabled  to  supply 
himself  with  hardware,  paints,  oils,  glass,  some  lumber,  groceries, 
and  all  kinds  of  provisions  and  clothing  for  his  family  and  his  work- 
men ;  and  when  the  appropriation  was  made,  as  I  said  it  would  be,  I 
redeemed  my  promise,  and  caused  them  all  to  be  paid.  I  considered 
this  a  lucky  piece  of  financiering,  and  it  was  lucky  for  the  institution ; 
but  it  bequeathed  to  me  one  first-class  lawsuit,  and  sundry  smaller 
ones,  and  has  cost  me  a  good  deal  of  money  and  trouble. 

Perhaps  it  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  relate  more  particulars.  I 
Lave  stated  enough  to  show  you  how  the  deed  was  done.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1861,  the  edifice  was  still  incomplete,  and  I  estimated  the  debt 
then  due  at  sixty-five  thousand  dollars,  which  was  granted  by  the 
Legislature.  During  the  spring  and  summer  of  1861,  the  edifice  was 


46  HISTORY    OF  .THE    ILLINOIS 

fully  completed,  and  an  additional  debt  of  some  thirty  odd  thousand 
dollars,  as  near  as  I  can  now  remember,  incurred,  which  has  since 
been  paid.  We  realized  some  hundred  and  ten  thousand  dollars  out 
of  the  subscription,  so  the  edifice  cost  a  little  over  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  The  time  occupied  in  building  the  edifice,  after 
the  resumption  of  work  in  1859,  was  two  years,  although  the  bulk  of 
the  work  was  done  in  1860.  OHAS.  E.  HOVEY. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  May,  1869. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  OF  THE  FACULTY. 


Richard  Edwards,  LL.  D.,  president  of  the  State  Normal  School 
from  1862  to  1876,  was  born  at  Aberystwitch,  Cardiganshire, 
Wales,  December  23,  1822.  His  parents  were  classed  among  the 
common  people.  His  father  was  a  stone  and  brick-mason,  and  his 
mother,  nee  Jones,  was  the  daughter  of  a  thrifty  farmer  in  moderate 
circumstances.  Owing  to  the  limited  means  of  his  parents,  his  early 
education  was  sadly  neglected.  At  the  age  of  ten,  his  father  became 
interested  in  the  New  World,  and  moved  westward.  Pleased  with 
Ohio,  he  located  in  the  northern  part,  on  a  tract  of  land  known  in 
histor}T  as  the  Western  Reserve.  Richard,  until  he  was  twenty-two, 
worked  on  a  farm,  sometimes  turning  the  soil  and  sometimes  plying 
the  trade  of  a  carpenter.  These  industries,  however,  were  not  suited 
to  his  taste  and  character.  He  desired  something  more  elevating. 
At  this  time  it  was  his  good  fortune  to  meet  two  scholarly  gentlemen 
who  had  completed  the  classical  course  at  Harvard.  They  gave  him 
some  wholesome  advice  respecting  the  advantages  of  an  education, 
and  after  carefully  considering  their  counsel  he  determined  to  go  to 
college.  After  much  hard  work  he  succeeded  in  gaining  admission  to 
the  Freshman  class  at  Harvard.  He  remained  at  Harvard  only  a 
short  time.  Afterward,  he  completed  the  Normal  course  at  Bridge- 
water,  Massachusetts,  and  in  1847  became  a  student  in  Rensellaer 
Polytechnic  Institute,  at  Troy,  New  York.  He  has  taught  at  II ing- 
ham,  Waltham,  Bridgewater,  and  Salem,  Massachusetts.  After 
leaving  Bridgewater  he  became  the  agent  of  the  State  Board  of  Edu- 
cation in  visiting  schools.  For  three  years  he  was  principal  of  the 
State  Normal  School,  at  Salem,  Massachusetts.  In  1857  he  was 
appointed  principal  of  the  city  Normal  School  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri. 
In  January,  1862,  he  became  president  of  the  Illinois  State  Normal 
University.  In  1876  he  resigned  this  position  and  accepted  a  call  to 
the  Congregational  church  at  Princeton,  111.,  where  he  is  engaged  at 
present. 


STATK    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  7 

Ivlwin  C.  Ilewett,  LL.  D.,  president  of  the  Illinois  State  for- 
mal University,  was  born  in  Worcester  County,  Massachusetts, 
November  1,  1828.  His  childhood  was  spent  011  a  farm  with  his 
parents,  who  are  still  living.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  learned  the 
shoemaker's  trade,  and  began  to  do  for  himself.  The  day  he  was 
twenty-one  he  engaged  his  first  school,  and  received  as  a  recompense, 
$13  per  month.  He  has  had  wonderful  success  as  a  teacher.  His 
services  have  ever  been  in  demand.  Be  it  said  to  his  credit  that  he 
never  engaged  but  one  school,  and  that  was  his  first.  In  1852  he 
graduated  at  the  State  Normal  School  in  Bridgewater,  Massachusetts; 
in  1853  he  became  an  assistant  teacher  in  this  school,  and  remained 
four  years.  In  the  fall  of  1858  he  came  to  Illinois  and  entered  upon 
his  duties  as  Professor  of  Histoiy  and  Geography,  in  the  Normal 
University;  in  January,  1876,  he  was  appointed  president;  in  1863 
he  received  the  degree  of  A.  M.  from  the  University  of  Chicago ;  in 
1877  he  received  the  title  of  LL.  D.  from  Shurtleff  College.  As  an 
instructor,  Dr.  Hewett  has  few  equals,  in  the  Union.  His  practical 
experience,  keen  perception,  and  laconic  forms  of  expression,  have 
gained  for  him  an  enviable  reputation  among  the  educators  of  this 
nation. 

Thomas  Metcalf  was  born  in  Norfolk  County,  Massachusetts,  in 
1826.  His  father  was  a  farmer  in  poor  circumstances,  but  was  able 
to  give  his  children  the  advantages  of  attendance,  for  one  or  two 
years,  at  an  academy,  in  addition  to  the  meager  opportunity  afforded 
by  the  district  school.  The  latter  was  seldom  kept  for  more  than  five 
months  each  year,  and  this  in  the  warm  season,  in  order  to  save  the 
expense  of  fuel.  During  the  long  winter,  in  common  with  nearly  all 
the  children  of  that  vicinity  in  those  days,  the  Metcalf  children 
braided  straw  for  bonnets,  having  their  daily  stint  from  eight  to 
twelve  yards.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  must  have  been  so  em- 
ployed for  not  less  than  seven  winters.  The  morning  of  his  sixteenth 
birthday,  when,  with  hoe  in  hand,  he  was  cutting  weeds  amongst 
the  corn,  he  was  called  to  take  charge,  "just  for  to-day,"  of  the 
school  in  his  own  district.  Homesickness  kept  the  teacher  away, 
and  gave  the  young  farmer-boy  eleven  weeks  practice  in  school-keep- 
ing, at  her  wages — S3  per  week.  For  five  years  teaching  district 
school,  alternated  with  attendance  at  an  academy,  not  without  occa- 
sional experiences  at  home  with  scythe,  rake,  and  plow.  At  the  age 
of  twenty-one  came  the  year's  course  at  the  Bridgewater  Normal 
school,  followed  by  an  immediate  engagement  as  sub-master  in  a 
grammar  school  on  Bunker  Hill.  Two  hard,  but  helpful  years,  here 
were  followed  by  seven  years  as  principal  of  a  grammar  school  in 
West  Koxbury.  He  came  west  in  1857,  leaving  the  last  named  school 
for  the  assistant's  position  in  the  St.  Louis  high  school,  where,  as 
professor  of  mathematics,  and  afterward  as  principal  of  the  combined 
high  and  Normal  School,  he  taught  five  years.  From  that  city  he 


48  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

was  called,  by  President  Edwards,  in  June,  1862,  to  this  University 
as  professor  of  mathematics;  then,  in  1873,  the  Board  established 
the  training  department  on  a  new  footing,  and  he  was  appointed  to 
the  new  chair.  Prof.  Metcalf  has  taught  nearly  forty  years.  In  the 
spring  of  1871,  he  visited  England,  Scotland,  and  Continental  Eu- 
rope, returning  in  August  with  health  much  improved. 

Albert  Stetson,  professor  of  language  and  literature,  was  born  in 
Kingston,  Mass.,  in  1834.  One  year  of  his  boyhood  was  spent  in 
pegging  shoes,  and  during  the  summers  of  his  fourteenth  and 
fifteenth  years  he  was  employed  in  a  tack  factory.  In  1852-3  he 
took  the  Bridgewater  Normal  course.  The  next  year  he  had  charge 
of  a  grammar  school,  situated  at  the  extreme  end  of  Cape  Cod.  The 
following  year  Mr.  Stetson  went  to  Yellow  Springs,  Ohio,  where  he 
entered  the  preparatory  department  of  Antioch  College.  Here 
circumstances  afforded  him  an  excellent  opportunity  of  becoming 
acquainted  with  the  distinguished  president  of  the  college,  Horace 
Mann.  In  July,  1858,  he  was  admitted  to  the  Freshman  class  of 
Harvard  College.  The  college  vacation  of  six  weeks  was  spent  in 
hard  study,  and  at  the  beginning  of  the  school  year  he  entered  the 
Sophomore  class.  His  expenses  at  Harvard  were  paid  with  his  own 
earnings,  save  a  little  assistance  rece:ved  from  the  college.  While  at 
college,  he  was  one  of  the  editors  of  the  Harvard  Magazine.  He 
graduated  in  1861,  and  in  1862  was  suddenly  transplanted  from  the 
shores  of  the  Atlantic  to  this  University  in  the  midst  of  the  prairies. 
The  Illinois  Schoolmaster  was  founded  and  edited  by  Mr.  Stetson. 
In  1878  he  visited  Europe. 

In  the  order  of  entering  the  Bridgewater  school,  the  names  of 
our  presidents  and  professors  stand  thus:  Edwards,  Metcalf,  Moore, 
Hewett,  Stetson,  spanning  the  period  from  1845  to  1853.  All  these 
men  were  assistants  in  the  school  for  at  least  one  term, — Edwards 
and  Hewett  for  several  years;  and  all  ascribe  a  large  share  of  what- 
ever success  has  attended  their  labors  to  the  influence  of  that  quiet, 
thorough,  honest  graduate  of  "West  Point,  Nicholas  Tillinghast. 

Joseph  Addison  Sewall  was  born  in  1830,  in  Scarborough,  Me. 
He  graduated  from  Harvard  in  1852,  and  received  the  degree  of 
M.  D.  In  1860  he  completed  the  scientific  course,  in  the  same 
college.  Between  the  years  1852  and  1856,  he  practiced  medicine  in 
Bureau  and  LaSalle  Counties.  In  the  fall  of  1860  he  was  appointed 
professor  of  natural  science  in  the  Normal  University.  He  went  to 
Colorado  in  1878.  He  is  now  president  of  the  Colorado  State 
University. 

W.  L.  Pillsbury  was  born  in  Derry,  N.  H.,  November  4,  1838. 
He  was  brought  up  on  a  farm.  He  went  to  Pinkerton  Academy,  in 
Derry,  for  about  a  year,  and  when  nearly  eighteen,  went  to  Phillips 
Academy,  at  Andover,  where  he  prepared  for  college.  Entered 
Harvard  in  1859,  and  graduated  in  1863.  He  came  to  Normal  as 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  49 

principal  of  the  model  school,  in  1863,  and  remained  until  1870. 
His  teaching  was  all  done  in  the  high  school,  and  he  seldom  had 
anything  to  do  with  the  other  departments.  From  1870  to  1879  he 
was  engaged  in  the  insurance  and  real  estate  business.  In  1879  he 
received  the  appointment  of  chief  clerk  in  the  office  of  Mr.  Slade, 
State  Superintendent.  He  was  married  December  26,  1866,  to  Miss 
Marion  Hammond,  of  St.  Louis,  who  had  charge  of  the  primary 
department  in  the  Normal  University. 

John  W.  Cook  was  born  in  New  York,  April  20,  1844,  and  is 
the  son  of  Col.  H.  D.  Cook.  In  1851  Mr.  Cook  came  west  with  his 

Earents,  and  settled  in  McLean  County,  Illinois.  He  entered  the 
tate  Normal  University  in  1862,  and  graduated  in  1865.  He  then 
began  teaching  school  at  Brim  field,  Peoria  County,  Illinois.  Here 
he  remained  but  one  year,  and  returned  to  Normal,  and  became 
principal  in  the  model  school  department.  In  1867  he  was  married 
to  Lydia  Spafford,  sister  of  Mrs.  Gen.  Hovey.  In  1868  he  became 
a  member  of  the  Normal  Faculty,  and  taught  history  and  geography. 
In  1869  he  changed  to  reading  and  elocution.  In  1876  he  was 
appointed  professor  of  mathematics. 

Stephen  A.  Forbes  was  born  in  Stephenson  County,  Illinois,  in 
1844.  He  worked  on  a  farm  until  the  age  of  fourteen,  when  he 
entered  the  preparatory  department  of  Beloit  College.  In  1861  he 
enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  B,  Seventh  I.  Y.  C.  He  was  honor- 
ably discharged  at  the  close  of  the  war,  bearing  the  title  of  captain. 
Immediately  after  the  war  closed,  he  entered  Rush  Medical  College, 
of  Chicago. .  In  1867  he  taught  school  in  southern  Illinois.  Before 
receiving  the  appointment  of  curator  of  the  museum  of  the  Illinois 
Normal  School,  which  he  did  in  1872,  he  was  superintendent  of  the 
public  schools  of  Mt.  Yernon.  He  is  now  State  Entomologist, 
having  been  recently  appointed  by  Gov.  Cullom. 

Lester  L.  Burrington  was  born  in  Burke,  Caledonia  County,  Yer- 
mont,  March  24,  1838.  He  attended  the  district  school  of  his  native 
State,  and  graduated  at  Tufts'  College,  near  Boston,  in  1866.  For  a 
short  time  he  was  professor  of  ancient  languages  in  Dean  Academy, 
at  Franklin,  Massachusetts.  He  held  the  same  position  in  Goddard 
Seminary,  Vermont,  for  four  years.  From  here  he  came  west.  In 
January,  1874,  he  accepted  a  position  in  the  State  Normal  University 
as  principal  of  the  high  school.  He  resigned  in  1879.  He  is  at 
present  president  of  the  Dean  Academy,  at  Franklin,  Massachusetts. 

Edmund  J.  James  was  born  May  21,  1855,  at  Jacksonville,  Mor- 
gan County,  Illinois.  His  parents  settled  on  a  farm  near  Normal,  in 
1863.  He  entered  the  lowest  class  of  the  grammar  school  in  the 
model  department  of  State  Normal  in  the  spring  of  1866.  He 
remained  in  the  model  department  six  years  and  one  term,  graduating 
from  the  high  school  in  1S73.  He  then  spent  two  terms  in  the 
classical  department  of  the  Northwestern  University,  at  Evanston. 


50  HISTORY    OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

After  holding  a  position  for  one  season  (six  months)  in  one  of  the 
field  parties  of  the  U.  S.  Lake  survey,  he  went  to  Harvard  College 
in  October,  1874,  and  remained  one  year,  making  a  specialty  of  the 
classics.  He  went  to  Germany  in  August,  1875,  attended  the  univer- 
sities of  Berlin  and  Halle,  studying  history,  political  science,  and 
philosophy.  He  graduated  at  Halle  in  August,  1877,  with  the 
degrees  of  A.  M.  and  Ph.  D.  He  then  took  charge  of  the  Evanston 
high  school,  January  1,  1878,  and  entered  on  his  present  work  in 
September,  1879.  He  is  turning  his  attention  to  political  economy, 
and  is  one  of  the  contributors  to  the  Encyclopedia  of  Political 
Science,  now  being  published. 

Minor  L.  Seymour  was  born  in  Genoa,  New  York,  in  1835.  He 
attended  a  district  school  till  the  age  of  nineteen,  afterward  Owego 
Academy,  Ithaca  Academy,  arid  the  Illinois  Normal  University,  each 
one  term.  At  present  he  is  our  professor  of  natural  science. 

Henry  McCormick  was  born  in  1837,  in  Mayo  County,  Ireland. 
In  1853  he  came  to  America,  spent  two  years  in  Ohio,  one  in  West 
Virginia,  and  then  went  to  Wisconsin,  working  on  a  farm  in  summer 
and  going  to  school  in  winter,  until  the  winter  of  1859-60,  when  he 
taught  his  first  school  in  a  log  school  house  for  $16  a  month,  "board- 
ing around."  The  school  house  being  on  the  line  between  Illinois 
and  Wisconsin,  he  had  to  undergo  examination  in  both  States.  The 
next  year  he  was  promoted  to  a  stone  school  house  and  823  a  month. 
This  school  he  had  four  months  of  every  year  until  the  spring  of 
1865,  when  he  came  here  as  a  student.  In  1869,  one  year  after  grad- 
uation, he  was  appointed  professor  of  geography.  In  the  interven- 
ing year  he  was  principal  of  the  Normal  public  school.  Now  he  is 
professor  of  history  and  geography  at  the  University.  Last  year,  1882, 
he  received  the  degree  of  Ph.  D.  from  the  Wesleyan  University. 

B.  W.  Baker,  a  farmer's  boy,  was  born  in  Coles  vounty,  Illinois, 
November  25,  1841.  He  entered  the  army  at  the  age  of  twenty,  and 
served  from  1861  to  1864  in  the  Illinois  Volunteers.  He  entered  the 
Normal  University  in  1867,  and  graduated  in  1870.  Since  graduating 
he  has  taught  in  the  grammar  school  of  the  University,  and  is  now 
preaching  in  Colorado. 

Charles  DeGarmo  was  born  in  the  State  of  Wisconsin  in  1849. 
At  the  age  of  two  his  parents  moved  to  Sterling,  111.,  where  he  lived 
ten  years.  Afterward  he  lived  at  Lebanon,  St.  Clair  County,  Illinois. 
He  enlisted  in  the  army  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  and  served  one  year. 
He  saw  all  the  great  battle  fields  of  Georgia,  one  year  after  the 
battles.  He  entered  the  Normal  University  in  the  fall  of  1870,  and 
graduated  in  the  spring  of  1873.  He  was  married  in  1875  to  Miss  Ida 
Witbeck,  of  Belvidere,  111.,  who  was  for  two  years  a  student  in  the 
University.  He  has  worked  in  institutes  for  eight  years.  At  various 
times  he  has  done  institute  work  in  Shelby,  Jo  Daviess,  Lee,  Fayette, 
and  McLean  Counties;  also,  in  the  State  of  Iowa. 


STATE    NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  51 

Mrs.  M.  D.  L.  Hayirie  was  born  in  Danville,  Kentucky,  in  1826, 
the  daughter  of  Dr.  Duff  Green.  At  the  age  of  five  she  entered  the 
primary  department  of  an  Episcopal  Seminary,  and  remained  there 
seven  years,  having  completed  a  year  of  high-school  work.  She  was 
then  placed  in  a  Presbyterian  Ladies'  Seminary,  where  she  completed 
the  course,  after  which  she  spent  several  years  in  southern  Tennessee. 
When  she  was  twenty  years  of  age  her  father  moved  to  Mt.  Yernon, 
Illinois,  and  soon  after  she,  in  connection  with  her  sister,  now  Mrs. 
Gray,  opened  a  school.  The  experiment  succeeded.  She  taught  in 
Mt.  Veruon  about  one  year,  and  a  year  and  a  half  in  Salem,  Illinois. 
In  October  1849,  she  was  married  to  Dr.  A.  F.  Haynie,  of  Salem, 
who  died  in  1851.  In  1855  she  accepted  a  position  in  an  academy  in 
Mt.  Yernon,  and  soon  after  was  given  the  entire  control  of  the  young 
ladies'  department.  She  resigned  in  1866,  and  became  teacher  of  lan- 
guage in  the  model  department  at  Normal.  Since  1876  she  has  held 
the  position  of  professor  of  modern  languages  in  Normal  University. 

Flora  Pennell  was  born  in  Putnam,  the  smallest  county  in 
Illinois,  in  the  town  of  Granville,  which,  in  the  early  history  of  the 
State,  was  one  of  the  centers  of  education.  She  began  attending 
school  at  the  age  of  four,  and  has  not  been  out  of  school  (either  as 
a  pupil  or  a  teacher)  any  whole  year  since.  At  the  age  of  twelve  she 
moved  to  Normal,  and  entered  the  grammar  school  of  the  Univer- 
sity. She  entered  the  Normal  in  the  fall  of  1869,  and  graduated  in 
1872.  The  next  year  she  taught  a  country  school,  one  mile  west  of 
Bloomington.  In  the  fall  of  1873  she  went  to  Vassar  College,  and 
in  the  year  1874  she  became  an  assistant  in  the  high  school  at  Elgin, 
Illinois,  where  she  remained  for  three  years.  From  Elgin  she  came 
to  teach  in  the  Normal  Department  in  the  fall  of  1877. 

Julia  E.  Kennedy  was  born  in  southern  Illinois.  She  attended 
the  district  school  and  the  spelling  school,  where  she  often  ''spelled 
down"  all  competitors,  until  the  age  of  fifteen.  At  this  time  her 
father  died,  and  she  taught  her  first  school  in  a  log  school  house. 
She  entered  the  Normal  at  seventeen,  and  graduated  in  1871,  vale- 
dictorian of  her  class.  Since  then  she  has  taught  in  Missouri,  as 
principal  of  a  school  in  St.  Louis,  and  as  professor  of  rhetoric  in 
Cape  Girardeau.  In  1879  she  came  here  and  took  charge  of  the  pri- 
mary department. 

Rosalie  Miller  was  born  at  New  Haven,  Connecticut.  She  grad- 
uated at  the  Westfield,  Massachusetts,  Normal  School.  Entered  upon 
the  profession  of  teaching  in  Massachusetts,  and  in  1874  came  to  Nor- 
mal. At  that  time  there  was  in  the  Normal  Department  only  one  lady 
teacher,  Miss  Case.  Before  this  time  there  had  been  no  regular 
teacher  of  drawing,  and  there  were  no  casts,  or  any  of  the  apparatus 
used  in  that  department  now.  Since  she  came  here,  Miss  Miller  has 
been  constantly  studying  and  perfecting  herself  in  the  different 
branches  of  her  art. 


52  HISTORY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

M.  Emma  Skinner,  the  most  youthful  member  of  the  faculty, 
was  born  on  a  farm,  one  mile  from  Princeton,  Illinois.  She  attended 
the  district  school,  later  the  Princeton  high  school,  from  which  she 
graduated  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  valedictorian  of  her  class.  Still  later, 
after  a  two  years'  course  of  study,  she  graduated  from  the  School  of 
Oratory,  of  Boston  University,  under  the  late  Lewis  B.  Monroe, 
being  one  of  twelve  to  represent  the  class  of  forty.  The  two  years 
following  she  taught  reading,  in  the  high  school  at  Princeton;  thence 
to  Normal,  in  the  fall  of  1881. 


CHANGES  IN  THE  FACULTY. 


At  the  breaking-out  of  the  rebellion,  Gen.  Hovey,  then  president 
of  the  University,  entered  the  army  as  colonel  of  the  Normal  regi- 
ment, which  he  had  organized.  Ten  of  those  who  had  been 
instructors  took  up  arms  on  the  right  side.  Leander  H.  Potter  was 
made  a  colonel  in  the  army,  and  afterward  president  of  the  Soldiers' 
College,  at  Fulton.  Ira  Moore  was  a  captain,  and  at  the  close  of 
the  war  he  became  principal  of  the  Normal  School  at  St.  Cloud, 
Minnesota.  J.  H.  Burnham  was  a  captain,  and  Aaron  Gove  an 
adjutant.  Julian  E.  Bryant  and  Joseph  G.  Howell  were  made 
lieutenants.  Bryant  was  drowned  on  the  Texan  coast,  and  Howell 
was  shot  at  Fort  Donelson.  Edwin  Philbrook  was  made  a  sergeant, 
Dr.  Samuel  Willard  a  surgeon,  and  Dr.  E.  R.  Roe  a  colonel.  When 
President  Hovey  entered  the  army,  Perkins  Bass,  of  Chicago,  con- 
sented to  act  as  principal  until  a  permanent  appointment  could  be 
made.  In  1862  Richard  Edwards,  formerly  principal  of  a  Normal 
School  in  St.  Louis,  became  president.  During  Gen.  Hovey's  last 
year  there  were  ten  members  of  the  Normal  Faculty.  In  President 
Edward's  first,  there  were  five,  Mr.  Hewett  and  Mr.  Sewall  being  the 
tfnly  members  who  served  in  both  administrations.  Mr.  Hewett  was 
instructor  in  geography  and  history,  Mr.  Sewall  in  natural  science, 
Leander  H.  Potter  in  language,  Thomas  Metcalf  in  mathematics,  and 
Margaret  E.  Osband  in  grammar  and  drawing.  During  the  next 
year,  Mr.  Potter  was  succeeded  by  Prof.  Stetson,  so  that  twenty  years 
ago  the  faculty  contained  three  of  its  present  members. 

Of  the  preceptress,  Miss  Osband,  now  Mrs.  Stetson,  Dr.  Edwards 
says:  "  She  was  a  faithful  and  capable  teacher,  and  her  discontinuance 
was  altogether  owing  to  her  unaccountable  preference  for  another 
position."  She  was  followed  by  Miss  Emaline  Dryer,  who  resigned 
in  1870,  Miss  Myra  A.  Osband  taking  her  place.  In  1874,  Miss 
Case  (now  Mrs.  Morrow)  became  preceptress. 

At  the  head  of  the  model  school,  in  which  the  high-school  grade 
had  just  been  established,  was  Charles  F.  Childs,  who  is  described  as 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  53 

a  man  of  rare  power.  Miss  Levonia  E.  Ketcham  was  teacher  in  the 
primary  department,  but  shortly  after  she  "went  the  common  way," 
and  married.  Her  example  was  followed  by  her  successor,  Miss 
Marion  Hammond,  who  took  for  "better  or  worse,"  William  L.  Pills- 
bury,  who  had  succeeded  Mr.  Childs  in  the  high  school.  After  Mr. 
Pillsbury,  Miss  Mary  E.  Horton  occupied  the  position  for  one  year, 
followed  by  Prof.  Coy,  who,  in  turn,  gave  place  to  Mr.  Burrington. 
Prof.  James  has  been  principal  of  the  high  school  for  the  last  three 
years. 

The  grammar  school  was  organized  as  a  separate  department  in 
1866,  with  E.  P.  Burlingham,  as  principal.  Previous  to  this  time 
the  model  school  was  entirely  under  the  supervision  of  the  principal 
of  the  high  school,  and  included  all  children  of  school  age  in  district 
'No.  2,  of  the  town  of  Normal.  But  the  rooms  of  the  University 
became  too  small  for  their  accommodation.  Accordingly,  a  school 
house  was  built  by  the  district,  and  the  grammar-  and  intermediate 
grades  of  the  model  school  were  removed  to  the  new  building  in  1867, 
with  John  W.  Cook  as  principal.  Two  years  later,  Joseph  E.  Carter 
became  principal,  and  by  a  vote  of  the  State  Board  of  Education,  the 
University  ceased  to  exercise  control  over  the  new  building.  In  1870, 
Mr.  Baker,  familiarly  known  as  "Big  Baker,"  took  charge  of  the 
grammar  school.  Mr.  DeGarmo  came  next.  Miss  Edith  F.  Johnson 
had,  in  1865,  succeeded  Miss  Hammond  in  the  .primary.  In  1868, 
Miss  Lucia  Kingsley  took  the  position,  but  she  "preferred  Indiana 
with  a  husband  to  Illinois  with  single  blessedness,"  and  passed  her 
work  into  the  hands  of  Miss  Martha  E.  Hughes.  Miss  Gertrude 
Case,  Mrs.  Joseph  Carter  (sister  of  Miss  Flora  Pennell),  and  Miss* 
Paddock,  successively  occupied  this  position  until  Miss  Kennedy  came 
in  1879. 

Miss  Baudusia  Wakefield,  of  the  Normal  Department,  was  ap- 
pointed in  1875.  She  resigned  in  1881,  and  her  place  was  filled  by 
James  Y.  McHugh,  who  also  resigned  in  December,  1881,  to  accept 
the  principalship  of  the  Normal  public  school. 


PRESENT  FACULTY. 


Edwin  C.  Hewett,  LL.  D.,  President,  Professor  of  Mental  Science 
and  Didactics.  Succeeded  Dr.  Edwards  in  1876. 

Thomas  Metcalf,  A.  M.,  Principal  of  Training  Department.  Ap- 
pointed in  1862. 

Albert  Stetson,  A.  M.,  Professor  of  Language  and  Literature. 
Appointed  in  1862. 

John  W.  Cook,  Professor  of  Mathematics.     Appointed  in 


54:  HISTORY  OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

Henry  McCormick,  Professor  of  History  and  Geography.  Ap- 
pointed in  1869. 

Stephen  A.  Forbes,  Director  of  Scientific  Laboratory.  Appointed 
in  1872. 

Minor  L.  Seymour,  Professor  of  Natural  Science.  Succeeded  Dr. 
Sewall  in  1878. 

Edmund  J.  James,  Ph.  D.,  Professor  of  Latin  and  Greek,  and 
Principal  of  the  High  School.  Succeeded  Prof.  Burrington  in  1879. 

Mrs.  Martha  D.  L.  Haynie,  Professor  of  Modern  Languages. 
Appointed  in  1865. 

Miss  Julia  E.  Kennedy,  First  Assistant,  Training  Department. 
Appointed  in  1879. 

Charles  DeGarmo,  Second  Assistant,  Training  Department. 
Appointed  in  1870. 

Miss  Rosalie  Miller,  Teacher  of  Drawing.     Appointed  in  1874. 

Miss  Flora  Pennell,  First  Assistant,  Normal  School.  Appointed 
in  18:77. 

Miss  Julia  Scott,  Second  Assistant,  Normal  School.  Appointed 
in  1881.  Resigned  in  1882. 

Miss  M.  Emma  Skinner,  Teacher  of  Reading.  Appointed  in 
1881.  Resigned  in  1882. 


The  museum  of  natural  history,  formerly  belonging  to  the 
Natural  History  Society,  was,  in  1871,  transferred  to  the  State,  and 
is  now  under  the  control  of  the  Board  of  Education.  In  1872  the 
collection  was  estimated  as  being  worth,  in  money,  nearly  $100,000. 
The  first  collections  were  made  by  Prof.  C.  D.  Wilber,  who  had 
charge  for  several  years.  He  was  followed  by  Maj.  John  W.  Powell, 
whose  explorations  in  Colorado  have  since  become  so  famous.  In 
1873  Stephen  A.  Forbes  took  his  present  position,  and  has  added 
much  to  the  value  of  the  museum,  both  by  arranging  the  mass  of 
material  already  collected,  and  by  adding  greatly  to  the  variety  of 
specimens. 

The  changes  in  customs,  methods  of  instruction,  etc.,  have  been 
few  and  gradual.  The  institution  has  never  been 

k  "  The  first  by  whom  the  new  is  tried, 

Nor  yet  the  last  to  lay  the  old  aside." 

Reappointment  has  been  the  rule,  both  in  the  Faculty  and  Board 
of  Education.  Spelling  has  never  assumed  a  very  mild  form.  In 
Dr.  Edwards'  time,  he  occupied  one  platform  in  the  assembly  room 
and  Mr.  Hewett  the  other,  alternately  hurling  verbal  missiles  at  the 
first  and  second  classes  in  spelling. 

In  those  halcyon  days,  there  was  no  "observation  work,"  but  in 
its  place,  every  Friday  afternoon,  one  of  the  classes  taught  by  a  pupil- 
teacher  was,  without  warning,  whisked  up  to  the  assembly  room,  and 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  55 

after  the  exercise  was  performed  as  well  as  the  fright  of  the  teacher 
and  children  permitted,  every  pupil  was  expected  to  criticise  if  called 
upon.  The  small  drop  of  self-confidence,  possessed  by  the  poor 
teacher,  entirely  evaporated  when  the  concentrated  wisdom  of  all  the 
faculty  was  brought  to  bear  on  the  work.  There  was  no  training 
teacher,  as  now,  but  each  member  of  the  faculty  gave  what  time  he 
could  to  visiting  the  pupil  teachers.  Occasionally  one  would  teach  a 
term  without  receiving  a  visit. 


ALUMNI  ASSOCIATION. 


In  June,  1863,  I  sat  an  intensely  interested  spectator  at  the  Nor- 
mal commencement.  I  had  been  a  student  in  the  institution  for  one 
year,  and  had  regarded  Section  A  as  a  superior  sort  of  people.  My 
interest  in  them  was  in  no  sense  diminished  by  the  conspicuous  part 
they  played  on  that  occasion.. 

At  the  close  of  the  exercises,  Dr.  Edwards  announced  that  the 
Alumni  would  meet  in  the  Wrightonian  Hall,  and  the  happy  seven, 
who  had  been  in  the  focus  of  the  public  gaze  for  three  or  four  hours, 
filed  into  the  society  room,  and  the  closing  door  shut  out  the 
inquisitive  gaze  of  at  least  one  u yearling."  That  was  the  first  time 
I  heard  of  the  Normal  Alumni  Association. 

The  succeeding  year  the  scene  was  reenacted,  and  a  year  later, 
in  1865,  I,  in  common  with  my  classmates,  accepted  the  president's 
invitation.  We  found  a  dozen  or  fifteen  of  our  forty-one  predecessors. 
They  received  us  with  great  cordiality  and  with  many  congratulations, 
and,  after  a  social  meeting  of  an  hour,  we  adjourned  to  receive  the 
compliments  of  our  admiring  friends. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  Alumni  Association  had  not,  as  yet,  a 
very  thorough  organization  nor  a  very  definite  purpose.  A  few  years 
later, — two  or  three  perhaps, — the  plan  of  a  private  business  meeting 
and  banquet  in  the  afternoon,  and  public  exercises  in  the  evening,  on 
the  day  preceding  commencement,  became  the  settled  policy  of  the 
Association.  Before  that  time,  it  had  been  customary  for  the  literary 
societies  to  employ  some  lecturer  of  national  reputation,  to  deliver  a 
public  address  upon  that  evening.  The  new  arrangement  dropped 
into  place  very  naturally.  This  plan  was  followed,  more  or  less 
faithfully,  until  1880,  when  the  cliange  in  the  school  calendar, _'  by 
which  the  annual  commencement  occurs  in  May,  made  it  impossible 
to  secure  a  full  attendance.  About  1870  an  attempt  was  made  to 
raise  a  permanent  Alumni  fund,  but  only  two  or  three  classes  took 
any  interest  in  the  matter,  and  the  scheme  was  abandoned. 

At  each  session  of  the  Legislature  the  institution  was  obliged  to 
e.ncounter  more  or  less  hostility  to  its  appropriation  bills.  A  stock 


56  HISTORY   OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

argument,  employed  by  our  enemies,  was  the  charge  that  the  grad- 
uates did  not  teach.  The  Association  determined  to  settle  the 
question.  To  this  end  the  constitution  was  so  amended  as  to  provide 
for  an  additional  officer, — a  sorresponding  secretary, — whose  duty  it 
should  be  to  communicate  annually  with  the  Alumni,  and  to  keep  a 
record  of  their  work.  I  undertook  the  task  in  1876,  and  the  result 
appears  in  the  following  pages.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  charge 
that  the  graduates  do  not  teach  has  been  abandoned. 

•  JOHN  "W.  COOK. 


THE  NORMAL  ALUMNI  REGISTER. 


Those  marked  "H.  S."  have  paid  their  tuition  in  full,  and  are  under  no  obligation  to  teach. 


CLASS  OF  1860. 

1.  Sarah  M.  (Dunn)  Strickler  taught  in  the  Peoria  high  school 
one  year,  in  the  Bloomington  high  school  one  year,  and  in  a  private 
school  in  Peoria  two  years.      She  married  Mr.  Strickler  in  August, 
1862.     They  have  two  children.     Their  present  residence  is  Phila- 
delphia.    Mrs.  Strickler  can  always  be  reached  by  addressing  her  in 
care  of  Miss  Hattie  Dunn,  Bloomington,  Illinois. 

2.  Elizabeth  J.  (Mitchell)  Christian  taught  in  the  Bloomington 
schools  two  years,  and  in  the  Decatur  schools  two  years.     She  was 
married  in  1865  to  M.  L.  Christian.     They  have  two  children,  a  son 
and  a  daughter.     Address  is  Bloomington,  Illinois. 

3.  Frances  A.  (Peterson)  Gastman  was  born  in  Sublette,  Illinois, 
in  1839.     She  entered  the  Normal  School  on  the  5th  day  of  October, 
1857 — the  first  day  of  the  first  term.    She  continued  her  studies  until 
June,  1860,  and  graduated  with  the  first  class.      Evincing  unusual 
power  as  a  teacher,  she  was  retained  as  preceptress  of  the  Institu- 
tion, and  remained  in  that  position  until  June,  1862.     On  the  24th  of 
July  succeeding,  she  was  married  to  E.  A.  Gastman,  who  was  teach- 
ing in  Decatur,  and  removed  to  that  city.     "With  the  beginning  of  the 
school  year  of  1862-3,  she  took  a  position  in  the  high  school  which 
had  just   been   organized.      About  the   twenty-second   of  February 
following,  she  was  taken  sick  in  the  school  room,  and  after  an  illness 
of  a  little  less  than  a  week,  she  died. 

4.  Mary   F.   (Washburn)  Hull   was   principal   of   the   primary 
department  of  the  model  school  in  1860-1.     Her  health,  always  del- 
icate, became  so  poor  that  in  1862  she  was  obliged  to  resign.     In 
April  of  the  same  year  she  was  married  to  John  Hull.       They  have 
tw<>  children.     Her  present  address  is  Carbondale,  Illinois. 


STATK  NORMAL  r.\ivi:i:-iTY.  f>7 

5.  Enoch  A.  Gastman,  immediately  after  graduation,  went  to 
Decatur  and  commenced   teaching  in  a  primary  school  at  forty-five 
dollars  a  month,  six  months  in  a  year.     In  May,  1862,  he  was  elected 
superintendent  of  city  schools,  and  has  held  the  position  continuously 
since,  nearly  twenty  years.     He  has  been  twice  married — in  1862  to 
Miss  Peterson,  mentioned  above,  and  in  1861  to  Miss  Caroline  Sar- 
gent.    They  have  four  children.     He  is  a  member  of  the  State  Board 
of  Education,  treasurer  of  the  State  Teachers'  Association, — a  posi- 
tion which  he  has  held  for  several  years, — president  of  the  Normal 
Alumni  Association,  is  especially  interested  in  bee  culture,  and  man- 
ages a  farm  near  Hudson.     He  has  been  tendered  positions  in  both 
of  the  State  Normal  Schools,  but  prefers  to  remain  in  Decatur.      He 
was  president  of  State  Teachers'  Association  in  1880. 

6.  Peter  Harper  taught  a  district  school  in  Peoria  County  until 
the  war.     He  then  entered  the  army,  and  remained  until  the  close  of 
the  war,  finding  himself  much  broken  in  health.       He  remained  in 
Louisiana,  was  elected  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature,  and  in  1876 
was  elected  Parish  Judge.     He  was  a  candidate  for  the  same  position 
in  1878,  but  was  defeated  on  the  "Louisiana  plan."      His  health  is 
not  good.      He  is  living  on  a  farm  purchased  ten  years  ago.      His 
address  is  St.  Charles,  Louisiana. 

7.  Silas    Hays,    Jr.,   after  graduation,    taught   in   the   Wenona 
schools  four  months,  in*  Elm  Grove  two  years,  and  in  El  Paso  one 
year.     He  traveled  for  Harper  Brothers  one  year,  and  spent  two 
years  selling  goods.     He  was  principal  of  the  Fairview  schools  one 
year,  after  which  he  bought  a  farin  near  Odell.     Since  1869  he  has 
taught  seven  winters,  five  of  them  in  the  same  school,  and  two  of 
them  in    "breaking-in  "    mutinous    schools.     His  address  is  Odell, 
Illinois.     He  has  taught  seventy-four  months  since  graduation.      He 
is  now  farming  at  Rugby,  Illinois. 

8.  Joseph  Gideon  Howell  was   born  in   Bethel,   Bond  County, 
Illinois,  September  4,  1838,  and  died  from  the  effects  of  a  rifle  ball 
through  the  head,  on  the  bloody  field  of  Donelson,  February  15,  1862. 
He  entered  the  Illinois  Normal  University,   October  5,   1857,   and 
graduated  with  his  class,  June  29,  1860,  receiving  the  first  diploma 
ever  issued.     During  the  fall  and  winter  of  1S60-1,  he  taught  in  the 
model  school,  but  resigned  his  position  to  enlist  as  a  private  in  the  first 
company   that   left   Bloomington,  under   the   command   of  Captain 
Harvey.     After  the  expiration  of  the  ninety-days  service,   he  was 
elected  first  lieutenant  of  Company  K.,  Eighth  Illinois  Infantry.     At 
the  time  of  his  death,  he  was  serving  as  aid  to  Gen.  R.  J.  Oglesby. 
He  was  a  noble,  Christian   man  in  every  sense  of  the  word.     He 
despised  a  mean,  low  act  in  anyone.     His  mind  was  singularly  clear 
and  decided.     He  reached  a  conclusion  in  a  moment,  and  never  hesi- 
tated to  carry  it  out  with  his  whole  soul.     Probably  no  one  ever  left 
the  University  with  brighter  prospects  of  usefulness  than  Joseph  G. 


58  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

Ilowell.  Had  he  lived,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  he  would  have 
stood  in  the  front  rank  of  teachers.  He  was  a  warm  and  devoted 
friend.  Always  happy  and  joyous,  his  very  presence  was  an  inspira- 
tion. The  girls  said  that  "he  always  laughed  with  his  eyes."  He 
was  brought  to  Bloomington  and  buried  in  the  cemetery,  although  he 
had  often  expressed  the  wish  that  he  might  rest  where  he  fell. 

9.  John  Hull  taught,  1860-1,  at  Salem,  Illinois;  1861-2,  in  the 
model  department  of  the  State  Normal  School,  and  1862-4  in  Bloom- 
ington.    During  1864-5  he  was  agent  for  Brewer  &  Tileston.     The 
next  four  years  he  was  in  business  in  Bloomington.     In  1869  he  was 
elected  superintendent  of  McLean  County,  and  was  re-elected  in  1873. 
He  resigned  this  position  in  1875  to  accept  the  chair  of  mathmatics 
in  the  Southern  Normal,  which  he  still  occupies.     He  was  married  in 
1862  to  Mary  F.  Washburne,  mentioned    above.     Mr.  Hull   edited 
the  Illinois  Schoolmaster  in  1868,   was  chairman  of  the  executive 
committee  of  the  State  Teachers'  Association  in  1873,  president  of 
the  Association  in  1874,  chairman  of  the  executive  committee  again 
in  1879,  and  is  now  the  secretary  of  the  Association.     His  address  is 
Carbondale,  Illinois. 

10.  Edwin  Philbrook  taught  one  year  in  Pana,  was  four  years  in 
the  army,  spent  four  years  in  various  kinds  of  business  at  different 
points,  teaching,  meanwhile,  one  year  at  Heyworth.     He  was  princi- 
pal of  the  Maroa  schools  three  years,  of  the  Sabetha,  Kansas,  schools 
three  years,  of  the  Blue  Rapids,  Kansas,  schools  four  years,  and  is 
at  present  principal  of  the  third  ward  school  in  Decatur     Mr.  P.  was 
married  in  1871. 


CLASS  OF  1861. 

11.  Sophie  J.  (Crist)  Gill  was  born  in  Perry  County,  Ohio,  in 
1840.     She  entered  the  Normal  School  in  February,  1858,  and  grad- 
uated with  the  second  class,  in  June,  1861.     After  graduation,  she 
taught  a  year  and  a  half  in  a  female  seminary  in  Greenfield,  Illinois. 
In  November,    1862,   she  was  married   to  Gary  Judson  Gill.      She 
accompanied  her  husband  south,  he  being  at  that  time  in  the  army, 
and  remained  eight  or  nine  months.     She  returned  to  Bloomington  in 
July,  1863,  suffering  from  disease  contracted  in  the  south.     She  died 
in  November,  1863. 

12.  Amanda  O.  Noyes  was  born  in  Landhoff,  New  Hampshire, 
in  1830,  and  entered   the  Normal  School  in  September,  1858,  and 
graduated  in  1861.     Immediately  after  graduation  she  took  a  position 
in  the  schools  of  Jacksonville,  and  remained  there  for  two  years;  but 
her  health   failed,  and   she  was   obliged   to   resign.     She   went  to 
La  Porte,  Indiana,  and  resided  with  a  brother  there.     After  a  painful 
illness  of  several  months,  she  died  on  February  7,  1864. 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  59 

13.  J.  II.  Burnham,  immediately  after  graduation,  entered  the 
army  as  lieutenant  of  the  Normal  company  of  the  Thirty-Third  Reg- 
iment. He  subsequently  became  captain  of  the  same  company.  In 
April,  1863,  he  resigned  on  account  of  ill-health,  and  returned  to 
Bloomington.  He  was  superintendent  of  the  Bloomington  schools 
one  year,  was  editor  of  the  Pantagraph  two  years,  and  since  1867 
has  been  agent  of  the  King  Iron  Bridge  Company.  In  1866  he  was 
married  to  Almira  S.  Ives.  His  address  is  Bloomington. 

14:.  Aaron  Gove  entered  the  Thirty-Third  Regiment  immedi- 
ately after  graduation,  and  soon  became  adjutant  of  the  regiment. 
He  remained  in  the  army  two  years,  was  in  business  two  years,  was 
principal  of  the  Rutland  schools  two  years,  and  principal  of  the 
Normal  public  schools  for  five  years.  In  August,  1874,  he  was 
elected  city  superintendent  of  the  Denver,  Colorado,  schools,  which 
position  he  still  occupies.  He  purchased  the  Schoolmaster  of  Mr. 
Hull,  and  the  Illinois  Teacher  of  Mr.  Nason,  and  consolidated  the 
two  journals.  Mr.  Gove  was  married  to  Cora  Spaiford,  of  Massa- 
chusetts, in  1865.  They  have  four  children — two  boys  and  two  girls. 

15.  Moses  Morgan,  immediately  after  the  battle  of  Bull  Run, 
entered  the  army  and  remained  a  year  and  a  half,  when  he  resigned 
with  prostrated  health.     In  1863-4  he  was  principal  of  the  third 
ward  school  in  Peoria.     In  1864  he  again  entered  the  army,  in  a  civil 
capacity,  and  served  until  June,  1866.     He  removed  to  Brecksville, 
Ohio,    and    commenced   farming,   and   in   two   years  recovered   his 
health.     In  1865  he  was  married  to  Miss  Laura  Green.     They  have 
buried  one  child,  and  have  two  living.      His  address  is  Brecksville, 
Ohio. 

16.  Henry  B.  Norton  taught  one  term  in  the  model  school,  in 
1861.     In   1862-3   he  taught  at  Warsaw.     The  year  1864  he  was 
editor  of  the  Bloomington  Pantagraph.     In  1864-5  he  was  county 
superintendent  of  Ogle  County.     In  1865  he  resigned,  and  accepted 
a  position  in  the  Kansas  State  Normal    School,  at  Emporia.     He 
remained  there  five  years.     The  years  1870-73  were  spent  in  news- 
paper work  and  traveling.     In  1873  he   returned  to   the   Emporia 
Normal  School,  where  he  remained  two  years,  resigning  to  accept  a 
position  in  the  San  Jose,  California,  Normal  School,  where  he  has 
since  remained.     He  was  married  in  1864.     They  have  three  chil- 
dren.    Address  is  San  Jose,  California. 

17.  Peleg  R.  Walker  taught  in  Dement,   1861-2.     He  enlisted 
as  private  in  Company  K,  Ninet}7-Second  Illinois,  in  1862,  and  was 
made  lieutenant  in  April,  1863.     He  commanded  the  company  in 
nearly  every  battle  in  which  they  were  engaged,  "Marched  from 
Atlanta  to  the  Sea,"  and  thence  by  way  of  Carolina  to  Virginia,  and 
was  on  an  advanced  post  when  Johnston  surrendered.    On  his  return, 
he  was  elected  principal  of  the  Creston  schools,  where  he  remained 
for  seven  years.     In  1872  he  resigned,  to  accept  the  principalship  of 


60  lirsTOKY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

the  llochelle  schools,  which  he  has  held  continuously  since.     He  was 
married  in  August,  1865.     They  have  one  girl,  born  in  1871. 

18.  Harvey  J.  Button  entered  the  Thirty-Third  Eegiment 
immediately  after  graduation,  and  remained  four  years,  becoming 
captain  before  the  close  of  the  war.  On  his  return  to  Illinois  he 
commenced  farming,  and  removed  to  Missouri  in  1860,  where  he  had 
purchased  a  farm.  He  has  taught  from  four  to  six  months  each 
winter  for  nine  successive  winters.  In  August,  1866,  he  was  married 
to  Louise  Y.  Brinsden.  They  have  four  children — three  girls  and 
one  boy.  His  address  is  Yirgil  City,  Missouri. 


CLASS  OF  1862. 

19.  Sarah  E.  Beers  taught  four  years  at  Normal  Center,  and  part 
of  1866  in  the  Canton  high  school.     In  1868,  she  opened  a  private 
school  in  Canton,  and  has  conducted  it  continuously  since,  excepting 
the  year  1878-9.     She  owns  a  neat  little  school  house  of  her  own. 
She  is  librarian  of  a  circulating  library  and  teaches  some.     She  writes, 
February,  1882,  "I  do  not  propose  to  teach  at  all,  on  the  account  of 
deafness,  but  the  people  insist  upon  keeping  me  in  the  harness.     I 
love  the  work,  and  would  gladly  spend  the  remainder  of  my  life  in  it." 

20.  Elizabeth  Carleton  for  four  years  following  her  graduation, 
was  first  assistant  in  the  Griggsville  high  school.     During  the  next 
four  years  she  was  principal  of  the  grammar  school  in  the  same  town. 
For  ten  years  she  was  employed  in  the  Hannibal,  Missouri,  schools. 
From  September,  1881,  to  April,  1882,  she  was  traveling.     She  then 
resumed  work  in  Hannibal. 

21.  Helen  (Grennell)  Guild,  immediately  after  graduation  accepted 
the  position  of  first  assistant  in  the  Peoria  high  school,  where  she 
remained  for  the  succeeding  ten    years.      In   1872  she  resigned    to 
take  a  similar  position  in  the  St.  Louis  high  school.     In  187-4  she  was 
married  to  Albert  D.  Guild,  Chicago.      Her  present  address  is  Lake- 
side, Michigan. 

22.  Esther  M.  Sprague,  for  four  years  after  graduation,  was  prin- 
cipal of  the  intermediate    department  of  the  fourth  ward  school  in 
Peoria.     During  the  year  1866-7  she  was  principal  of  the  model  school 
in  Platteville,  Wisconsin,  Normal  School.      The  six  years  succeeding 
she  was  head  assistant  in  the  Kinzie  school,  Chicago.     She  was  for 
seven  years  principal  of  Lincoln  street  school.    From  September,  1880, 
to  March  1881,  she  did  not  teach.     Since  then  she  has  been  in  the  Fos7 
ter  school. 

23.  Emma  (Trimble)  Bangs  in  1862-3  taught  in  York,  Kendall 
County;    in  1863^  in  Washington,  Illinois;    in  1864-5  in  Lacon;   in 
1865-6  in  Sparland;  in  1866-7  in  Lacon.     She  then  learned  the  prin- 
ter's trade  from  the  "devil"  to  the  editor's  chair.     She  was  postmistress 


STATE    XOKMAL    '  MVKKSITY.  61 

of  Ilillsboro  for  eight  years.  She  is  now  local  editress  of  Montgomery 
County  News. 

24.  Lorenzo  D.  Bovee  entered  the  army  in  1862,  and  served  one 
year  in  the  One  Hundredth  Illinois  Volunteers.  In  1863  he  was  dis- 
charged on  account  of  ill  health.  He  taught  only  one  year,  his  health 
having  been  impaired  by  service  in  the  army.  He  is  now  engaged  in 
farming  near  Chelopa,  Kansas. 

i'."*.  James  F.  Ridlon  taught  at  Abingdon  in  1862-3  and  at  Hen- 
derson during  the  winter  of  1863^.  He  entered  the  army  in  1861, 
and  at  the  close  of  the  war  taught  in  Monmouth  during  the  winter  of 
1865-6.  In  1866  he  went;  to  Kansas,  and  taught  in  Lawrence  the  win- 
ter term  of  1866-7,  and  at  Lanesville  during  the  winter  of  1868-9.  In 
1869-70  he  was  a  member  of  the  Kansas  Legislature,  and  took  an  active 
part  in  all  legislation  affecting  educational  matters.  He  was  married  in 
1870,  and  had  charge  of  the  DeSoto  schools  during  the  succeeding 
year.  He  then  went  on  his  farm,  surveyed  one  year,  and  taught  every 
winter  until  June,  1878.  He  is  now  farming  during  the  summer,  and 
acting  as  Grange  lecturer  in  winter. 

26.  Logan  Holt  Roots  was  principal  of  DuQuoin  schools  before 
receiving  a  diploma.  In  the  summer  ol  1862  he  entered  the  army  and 
.served  till  the  close  of  the  war;  "Marched  to  the  Sea;"  was  in  "grand 
reunion"  at  Washington;  went  south  with  Sherman,  and  remained  in  the 
army  a  while  after  the  close  of  the  war.  He  resigned,  bought  a  planta- 
tion, raised  cotton,  and  was  successful.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Fortieth  and  Forty-first  Congress,  and  was  afterward  U.  S.  marshal  in 
Arkansas.  Since  1872  he  has  been  president  of  the  Merchant's 
National  Bank  at  Little  Rock. 


CLASS  OF  1863. 

27.  Mary  A.  Fuller  was  born  in  Tazewell  County,  Illinois,  in 
1841.  She  entered  the  Normal  School,  April  13,  1860,  before  the 
occupancy  of  the  new  building.  She  remained  until  her  graduation, 
in  1863.  Immediately  after  graduation,  she  commenced  work  in 
Decatur,  as  assistant  in  one  of  the  grammar  schools,  and  remained 
there  for  seven  years.  Resigning,  she  accepted  the  principalship  of 
the  Magnolia  schools,  which  she  retained  three  years.  This  proved 
to  be  the  last  of  her  work  as  a  teacher.  Her  family  had  moved  to 
Normal,  and  there  Miss  Fuller  joined  them  to  enjoy  the  quiet  of  her 
pleasant  home  and  to  devote  herself  to  the  further  development  of 
her  cultured  mind.  After  a  visit  to  England  and  the  Continent,  and 
a  rest  of  three  or  four  years,  she  spent  a  year  in  the  Boston  School  of 
Oratory,  and  was  seriously  thinking  of  resuming  her  teaching  work, 
of  which  she  was  ardently  fond,  when  she  was  suddenly  attacked 
with  a  fatal  illness,  and  in  a  few  hours  she  had  entered  into  a  new  life. 


62  HISTORY    OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

She  was  a  woman  of  rare  poise  of  character.  Her  habits  were  those 
of  the  scholar.  She  loved  the  seclusion  of  home  and  the  companion- 
ship of  books;  but  she  was  no  recluse.  She  felt  the  currents  of  our 
busy  modern  life,  and  shrank  from  no  duty  that  came  to  her  door. 
The  thoughtful,  earnest,  sincere,  clear-faced  little  woman,  impressed 
herself  with  singular  force  upon  her  associates',  for  she  always  brought 
with  her  suggestions  of  higher  living  and  purer  atmospheres -of 
thought.  To  scores  of  young  lives  she  gave  such  trend  and  inspiration 
that  she  still  lives  in  many  a  home  to  enrich  and  bless  it  by  the 
potency  of  her  character.  She  was  buried  at  her  old  home  in  Tazewell 
County. 

28.  Sarah  F.  (Gove)  Baldwin  taught  one  year  in  Granville,  and 
two  years  in  Peoria.     In  April,  1866,  she  was  married  to  Eugene  F. 
Baldwin.     They  have  three  children.     Her  address  is  Peoria,  care  of 
Journal. 

29.  Abbie  R.  (Reynolds)  Wilcox  taught  one  term  in  Blooming- 
ton.     In  June,  1864,   she  was  married  to  Mr.  Wilcox.     They  have 
three  children  living,   and   have   lost  two.     She  has  since  studied 
Kindergarten  work,  and  is  now  a  Kindergarten  teacher  in  St.  Louis. 

30.  Sarah  Hackett  Stevenson  taught  in   Bloomington,  Mt.  Mor- 
ris, and  Sterling,  aggregating  four  years  in  these  places.     She  studied 
medicine   in   Chicago,  and    subsequently    went    to    England,  where 
she  continued  her  studies  with  Prof.  Huxley.     In  1875  she  was  elected 
to  the  chair  of  Physiology  in  the  Woman's  College,  in  Chicago,  which 
position  she  still  retains.     She  is  quite  widely  known  as  a  lecturer  and 
writer,  and  also  as  the  author  of  a  charming  book,  "Boys  and  Girls 
in  Biology,"  published  by  D.    Appleton   &   Co.      Her   address  is 
Woman's  College,  Chicago. 

31.  W.  Dennis  Hall  began  teaching  at  Granville,  Illinois,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1863.     He  remained  there  during  the  year  1863-^i,  excepting 
the  last  two  months,  spent  in  the  army.     He  left  the  army  about  the 
first  of  November,   1864,  and  began  teaching  in  Brimh'eld,  Illinois. 
He  remained  there  three  mouths.     During  the  spring  term  of  1864-5 
he  had  charge  of  the  second  ward  school,  in  Peoria.     During  the  year 
1865-6  he  had  charge  of  the  Elmwood  schools.     In  September,  1866, 
he  took  charge  of  the  Clinton  schools,  and  remained  there  nearly  five 
years.     From  1869  to  1872  he  was  superintendent  of  LaSalle  schools. 
During  the  years  1872-3,  and  1873-4,  he  held  a  similar  position  in 
Centralia.     in  1874,  and  a  part  of  18^5,  he  did  not  teach.     The  last 
fivq  months  of  1875-6  he  had  charge  of  the  Farmer  City  schools. 
Since  June,  1876,  he  has  been  in  the  employ  of  D.  Appleton  &  Co. 
He  was  married  about  1868,  and  has  one  daughter.     Ills  address  is 
340  State  Street,  Chicago. 

32.  Ebenezer  D.  Harris,  the  three  years  succeeding  his  gradua- 
tion, had  charge  of  one  of  the  ward  schools  of  Peoria.     He  then 
engaged  in  market-gardening  on  a  somewhat  large  scale,  near  Lincoln, 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  »'•:} 

Nebraska.     Since  February,  1880,  lie  lias  taught  two  terms  in  Lancas- 
ter County,  Nebraska.     He  is  now  teaching. 

33.  John  B.  Thompson  was  born  in  McLean  County,  Illinois,  in 
1842,  and  entered  school  in  1860.  He  graduated  with  the  fourth 
class,  in  1863.  Desiring  to  fit  himself  more  fully  for  teaching,  he 
remained  the  succeeding  year,  continuing  his  studies  in  the  high 
school,  and  acting  also  as  assistant  in  the  same  department.  In 
IS 64-5  he  taught  in  El  Paso,  and  in  1S65-6  in  Charleston.  In  the 
fall  of  1866  he  went  to  Kansas  and  taught  there  in  1866-7,  returning 
to  Illinois  in  the  summer  of  1867,  with  his  health  much  impaired.  He 

g-adually   declined,  and   in  January,  1869,  died-  at  his  home  near 
loomington.     He  was  an  intense  worker,  and  carried  into  his  chosen 
profession  a  high  degree  of  enthusiasm  and  earnestness. 


CLASS  OF  1864. 

/  ( 

34.  Hattie  E.  Dunn  has  taught  constantly  since  graduation,  as 
follows:  1864-5  in  Springfield;  1865-71  in  Bloomington  ward  schools; 
is 71-2  in  Carbondale;  1872-3  in  Carrollton;  1873-5  in  Bloomington 
high  school,  as  assistant,  and  since  November,  1875,   she  has  been 
principal  of  the  same  school.     Her  address  is  Bloomington. 

35.  Anna  (Gunnell)  Hatfield  taught  one  year  in  Bloomington,  and 
two  in  Peoria.     Her  address  is  Mrs.  "William  Hatfield,  care  of  Mer- 
chants' National  Bank,  Chicago. 

36.  Edith  (Johnson)  Morley  taught  one  year  in  Aurora,  three 
years  in  the  model  school,  Normal,  and  two  years  in  Bonham's  Female 
Seminary,    St.   Louis.     In  1871  she  was  married  to  Rev.   John  H. 
Morley.     She  writes  in  January,  1882,  "Taking  care  of  a  good  hus- 
band, two  sons  and  a  daughter."     Her  address  is  Winona,  Minn. 

37.  Isabella  More    taught  four    years  in    Conover's   Seminary, 
Bloomington;  one  year  in  Cairo,  one  year  in  Perry,  and  about  three 
years  in  ungraded  schools.     On  account  of  ill  health,  she  did  not  teach 
for  a  few  years.     She  resumed  work  in  June,  1876.     In  1877  was  a 
candidate  for  county  superintendent  of  Pike  County;   opposite  party 
had  a  majoritv  of  1,000;  she  was  defeated  by  a  little  over  100.     Since 
June,  1879,  slie  has  taught  as  follows:   Six  months  in  Perry,  and  four 
months  in  Independence,  Perry  township,  where  she  is  now  teaching. 

38.  Harriet  E.  Stewart.     No  report  has  been  received  from  this 
lady. 

39.  George  Colvin  was  principal  of  Atlanta,  Illinois,  schools  two 
years,  of  the  Pontiac  schools  two  years,  and  has  had  charge  of  the 
Pekin  schools  since  September,  1871.     In  May,  1865,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Sallie  Bergen.    They  have  two  children.    His  address  is  Pekin. 

40.  Lyman  B.  Kellogg  continued  his  studies  at  Normal  for  a  time 
after  graduation,  teaching  meanwhile.    In  1865  he  was  elected  principal 


64:  HISTORY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

of  the  Kansas  State  Normar~School  in  Emporia.  He  organized  the 
school  and  remained  at  its  head  for  seven  years.  Since  1872  he  lias 
been  engaged  in  business,  and  the  practice  of  law.  He  was  married 
in  1866.  His  wife  died  in  1873,  leaving  two  boys.  His  address  is 
Emporia. 

41.  Philo  A.  Marsh  has  taught  but  one  year  since  graduation,  and 
that  was  at  Magnolia  in  1864-5.  Since  then  he  has  been  engaged  in 
railroading  and  milling.  He  was  for  a  time  passenger  conductor  on 
the  P.,  D.  &  E.  R.  E.  He  is  now  agent  for  the  L,  B.  &  W.  E.  E.  at 
Urbana,  and  is  interested  in  a  flouring  mill  near  Atlanta.  His  address 
is  Urbana. 


•   CLASS  OF  1865. 

42.  Olinda  (Johnson)  Nichols  taught  nearly  all  the  time  until  her 
marriage  in  1869.     Her  address  is  Mrs.  N.  F.  Nichols,  Aurora,  Illinois. 

43.  Almenia  C.  Jones  has  taught  every  school  month  since  grad- 
uation.    She  taught  two  years  in  Pekin,  two  in  Lewistown,  and  the 
remaining  time  in  Canton,  where  she  resides. 

44.  Lucinda  (Standard)  Johnson  taught  in  1865-6  in  Centralia; 
the  succeeding  three  years  she  taught  in  Charleston;    in  1869-70  she 
taught  in  St.  Cloud,  Minnesota,  Normal  School.     After  this  she  taught 
one  year  in  Ft.  Smith,  Arkansas,  six  months  in  Little  Rock,  and  two 
and  a  half  years  in  the  Arkansas  State  University,   at  Fayetteville. 
The  summer  of  1874  she  spent  in  Europe.       On  her  return  she  was 
married  to  A.  O.  Johnson,  Esq.,  a  lawyer  of  Drake's  Creek,  Arkansas. 

45.  Bandusia  Waken" eld  has  taught  as  follows:   Four  terms  in  the 
model  school;  one  term  in  Farmer  City,  Illinois;  one  term  in  Atlanta, 
Illinois;  two  years  in  Winterset,  Iowa;   one  year  in  Emporia,  Kansas; 
one  term  in  Farmington,  Illinois;   two  terms  in  Bloomington,  Illinois; 
six  and  a  half  years  in  the  Illinois  Normal  University.     She  resigned 
at  the  close  of  winter  term,  1880-1,  to  take  charge  of  her  brother's 
children.     Her  address  is  Sioux  City,  Iowa. 

46.  Thomas  J.  Burrill  had  'charge  of  the  Varna  schools   three 
years.     Since  September,  1868,  he  has  occupied  a  chair  in  the  Indus- 
trial University  at  Champaign.     For  the  last  few  years  he  has  been 
professor  of  Botany  and  Horticulture.     He  is  widely  known  among 
the  leading  agriculturists  and  horticulturists  of  the  State,  as  he  spends 
considerable  time  in  lecturing  upon  topics  of  great  economic  interest 
to  that  part  of  our  population.     He  was  married  in  1868. 

47.  John  W.  Cook.     See  page  49. 

48.  William  Florin,  1865-6,  was  principal  of  the  grammar  depart- 
ment of  the  Lebanon  schools;  1866-7  he  was  principal  of  the  Highland 
schools;  1867-70  was  principal  of  Lebanon,  and  1870-2  of  the  High- 
land schools;  1872-3  he  had  charge  of  a  grammar  school  in  Belleville; 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  65 

"»-6  he  was  assistant  in  the  high  school  at  the  same  place;  1876-7 
he  had  charge  of  the  Edwardsville  schools,  and  in  1877-9  he  held  a 
similar  position  in  St.  Jacob.  In  the  summer  of  1879,  after  teaching 
steadily  for  fourteen  years,  he  concluded  to  go  into  business.  He  is 
now  selling  drugs  at  Altamont. 

4'.).  David  M.  Fulwiler,  1865-6  was  principal  of  the  Lexington 
schools;  1866-9  he  held  the  same  position  in  Hillsboro.  In  1869  he 
left  teaching  and  went  into  business.  In  1876  he  became  a  short-hand 
reporter,  lie  has  taught  one  year  since.  His  address  is  Lexington. 

50.  Oscar  F.  McKim  taught  one  year  in  the  model  school,  and  for 
three  years  was  principal  of  the  second  ward  school  in  Decatur.     He 
served  four  years  as  county  superintendent  of  Macon  county,  and  was 
associate  principal  of  Decatur  high  school  one  year.     In  1874  he  com- 
menced practicing  law.     He  removed  to  Kansas  in  1875,  and  taught 
in  Oxford  in  1875-6.     He  was  principal  of  the  Wichita  schools  1876-8, 
and  of  the  Wellington  schools  1878-9.     The  next  year  he  was  an 
attorney-at-law  agent.    He  is  now  teaching  at  Dallas  City.    Mr.  McKim 
was  married  in  1866. 

51.  Adolph  A.  Suppiger,  in  1865-7,  was  principal  of  the  Maine 
schools,  and  1867-73  of  the  Highland  schools.     Pie  served  four  years 
as  county   superintendent    of    Madison    County.       After    his    term 
expired  he  taught  six  months  in  Venice,  and  one  year  in  North  Alton. 
He  is  now  in  business  in  Pierson.     He  was  married  in  1870,  and  has 
three  children. 

52.  Melancthon  Wakefield  taught  two  terms  in  the  model  school 
after  graduation.      In   1866-7  he  had  charge  of  the  Buda  schools; 
1867-8  of  the  Carrollton  schools,  and  1868-9  of  the  Cherokee,  Iowa, 
schools.     He  has  not  taught  since  June,  1869,  but  has  been  practicing 
law  in  Cherokee.     He  has  served  three  terms  as  mayor. 

53.  William  McCambridge  (H.  S.)  was  station  agent  at  Normal 
until  1871.     He  has  been  engaged  in  newspaper  work  since,  and  is 
now  editor  of  the  Pantagraph,  Bloomington,  Illinois. 

54:.  Gertrude  K.  Case  (H.  S.)  taught  six  years  in  Bloomington, 
and  was  three  years  principal  of  the  primary  department  of  the  model 
school.  She  was  married  in  1875.  Her  address  is  Mrs.  Wesley 
Young,  Dayton,  Ohio. 

55.  Howard  C.  Crist  (H.   S.)  studied  medicine,  and,  with   the 
exception  of  one  year  spent  in  Arizona  as  United  States  Mission  Sur- 
geon, has  been  practicing  in  Bloomington. 

56.  Charles   L.   Capen   (II.   S.)  entered   Harvard  University  in 
1865,  and  graduated  in  1869.     He  then  studied  law  in  Bloomington, 
and  is  now  a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Williams,  Burr  &  Capen. 
He  married  Miss  Nellie  Briggs,  in  October,  1875. 

57.  Robert  McCart  (II.   S.)  graduated  at  the  Ann  Arbor  law 
school,  in  1867.     He  practiced  in  Bloomington  until  1877,  and  then 
settled  in  Fort  Worth,  Texas. 


66  HISTOKY   OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

58.  Clara  Y.   (Fell)  Fyffe  (H.    S.)  married  James  Fyffe,  now 
deceased.     Her  address  is  IS  ormal. 

59.  Hosea  Howard  (H.  S.)  is  in  the  office  of  the  Wabash,  St. 
Louis  and  Pacific  Railroad,  St.  Louis. 


CLASS  OF  1866. 

60.  Harriet   (Case)   Morrow  was   principal  of   the   high   school 
department  of  Hadley's  formal  Academy,  in  Richmond,  Indiana,  in 
1866-7.     For  four  years,  1867  to  1871,  she  was  principal  of  a  grammar  , 
school  in  Ottawa,  Illinois,  except  part  of  one  year  when  she  was  assist- 
ant in  the  high  school.       For  two  years,  1871-3,  she  was  teacher  of 
mathematics  in  the  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  high  school.    From  Septem- 
ber, 1873,  to  January  1878,  she  was  preceptress  in  the  Illinois  State 
Normal  School.     In  January,  1878,  sne  was  married  to  Mr.  Morrow, 
of  the  lake  survey.     They  have  one  son.    Their  home  is  Tonganoxie, 
Kansas. 

61.  Martha  Foster  taught  two  years  in  the  intermediate  depart- 
ment of  the  Yates  City  schools,  one  year  in  the  intermediate  depart- 
ment of  the  model  school  at  Normal,  two  terms  in  country  schools 
near  Yates  City,  one  year  in  Boone,  Iowa,  one  year  in  Lindsay,  Kan- 
sas, five  years  in  Dexter,  Iowa,  and  one  year  in  Ottawa,  Kansas.     She 
also  taught  in  six  Normal  Institutes,  one  month  each,  and  three  months 
in  Junction  City,  Kansas.     Her  health  having  been  somewhat  impaired, 
she  was  obliged  to  give  up  teaching  for  a  time.     Since  June,  1880,  she 
taught  seven  months  at  her  home  in  Maquon,  Illinois. 

62.  Harriet  A.  Fyffe  taught  two  years  in  Menard  County,  two 
years  in  the  public  schools  of  Normal,  and  for  three  years  was  princi- 
pal of  the  Magnolia  schools.     She  is  now  engaged  in  the  drug  business 
in  Magnolia,  Illinois. 

63.  Margaret  (McCambridge)  Hurd  taught  in  the  Cairo  schools  in 
1866-7.     In  1867  she  was  married  to  Charles  R.  Hurd.     They  have 
three  daughters.     Their  residence  is  in  Denver,  Colorado. 

64.  Mary  E.  Pearce  taught  one  year  in  Carrollton,  one  in  Shelby 
County,  one  in  Farmington,  six  in  Lexington,  and  two  in  the  public 
schools  of  Normal.     The  year  1877-8  was  spent  in  California,  and  in 
1878-9  she  did  not  teach.     In  1879-80  she  was  principal  of  the  West 
Side  school  in  El  Paso.     In  1880-1  she  taught  six  months  near  Hudson. 
Since  September  she  has  been  teaching  in  Lexington.     Her  address 
is  Normal,  Illinois. 

65.  Alice  (Piper)  Blackburn  taught  six  years  in  the  public  schools 
of  Macomb — two  years  in  the  grammar  school  and  four  in  the  high 
school.     In  1872  she  was  married,  and  removed  to  California.     They 
have  one  daughter,  six  years  old.    Her  home  is  in  San  Buena  Yentura, 
California. 


STATE   NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  67 

66.  Helen  (Plato)  Wilbur,  from  October,  1866,  to  March,  1867, 
taught  in  Kaneville ;   from  September,   1867,  to  February,   1868,  in 
Elgin ;  from  February,  1868,  to  March,  1871,  in  Chicago.     In  1871, 
she  was  married.     Mr.  Wilbur  died  a  few  months  after  their  marriage. 
In  December,  1874,  she  resumed  teaching  in  Chicago,  and  has  been  so 
employed  constantly  since.     Her  address  is  256  Ontario  Street. 

67.  Sarah  E.  Raymond,  in  1866-8,  taught  in  Fowler  Institute, 
Newark,  Illinois,  as  assistant  in  the  English  department.     1868-9,  she 
was  assistant  in  a  ward  school  in  Bloomington.      From  September, 
1869,  to   March,  1873,  she  was  principal  of  the  same  school.     The 
spring  term  of  1873,  she  was  assistant  in  the  high  school.     1873-4, 
she  was  principal  of  the  high  school,  and  since  September,  1874,  she 
has  been  city  superintendent  of  the  Bloomington  schools. 

68.  Olive  (Kider)  Cotton,  1866-7,  was  principal  of  the  interme- 
diate department  of  the   model  school  at  Normal.     The  six  years 
succeeding,    she  taught  in  the  schools  of  Griggsville.     In  1873,   on 
account  of  poor  health,  she  gave  up  teaching.     The  succeeding  three 
years  were  spent  in  California,  New  York,  and  Massachusetts.     In 
January,  1878,  she  took  a  position  in  the  Normal  public  schools,  and 
remained  there  until  June.     In  1879,  she  was  married  to  Alfred  C. 
Cotton,  of  the  class  of  1869.     Since  then,  she  has  spent  two  years  in 
California,  and  one  year  in  New  York.     They  reside  in  Turner  Junc- 
tion, Illinois. 

69.  Julia  (Stanard)  Frost  taught  one  year  in  Charleston,  Illinois, 
one  in  Whitehall,  one  in  Jersey  County,  one  in  Ottawa,  two  in  Atlanta, 
and  five  months  in  Bureau  County.     After  resting  three  years,  she 
began  teaching  in  Atlantic,  Iowa.     She  taught  one  year  in  the  primaiy 
department,  two  in  the  grammar,  and  since  1879  has  been  assistant  in 
the  high  school.      She  was  married  in  1867  to  K.  H.  Frost.      They 
have  one  child. 

70.  Nelson  Case  was  principal  of  the  Tolono  schools  in  1866-7. 
He  has  not  taught  since.     He  studied  law  at  Ann  Arbor,  and  since  his 
admission  has  been  practicing  in  Oswego,  Kansas.     He  was  married  in 
1872.     He  is  now  judge  of  the  probate  court. 

71.  Philo  A.  Clark  was  principal  of  the  Chillicothe  schools  one 
year,  of  the  Neponset  schools  one  year,  one  year  near  Davenport,  and 
one  year  in  county  schools  in  Kendall  County.     For  two  years  he  was 
agent  for  school  "apparatus  and  furniture.     He  was  a  wholesale  mer- 
chant and  resided  in  Peoria;  was  then  in  the  school  furniture  business. 
He  left  Peoria  in  October,  1878,  to  travel  for  a  spice  and  tea  house  of 
Omaha.     In  1879  he  removed  to  Madison,  where  ne  has  inherited  con- 
siderable property. 

72.  John  Ellis,  jr.,  for  three  years,  1866-9,  was  principal  of  the 
Naples  schools.     The  next  three  years,  1869-72,  he  was  principal  of 
the  West  Side  schools  in  El  Paso.     In  1872  he  went  to  Beatrice,  Neb., 
and  engaged  in  real  estate  and  loan  business.     In  1878  he  was  elected 


68  x    HISTORY  OF  THE  ILLINOIS 

county  treasurer.     He  was  married  in  1872,  and  has  two  children. 

73.  Joseph  Hunter  was  born  in  New  York  in  1843.     lie  entered 
the  Normal  School  in  September,  1863.     In  1866-7  he  was  principal 
of  the  Pontiac  schools.     The  next  year  he  took  a  position  in  Wash- 
ington University,  St.  Louis.     Here  he  commenced  the  study  of  law. 
In  1869  he  was  admitted,  and  located  at  Ilockford,  but  soon  changed 
his  residence  to  Mendota,   where  he  remained  until   1875,  gaining, 
meanwhile,  a  lucrative  practice.     In  1873  he  was  married  to  the  only 
child  of  J.  C.  Crocker,  Esq.,  of  Mendota.     Thinking  that  a  change  of 
climate  would  improve  his  enfeebled  health,  in  1875  he  removed  to 
Lincoln,  Nebraska,  and  formed  a  partnership  with  a  leading  attorney 
of  that  place.      In  the  year  1880  his  old  friends  at  Normal  were 
shocked  to  learn  of  his  sudden  death,  which  occurred  on  the  1 7th  of 
April.      He  leaves  a  wife  and  four  children.      Mr.   Hunter  was  an 
unusually  modest,  quiet  man,  gentle  and  tender  as  a  woman,  and  gen- 
erous to  a  fault.     The  rich  treasures  of  his  deep,  true  nature  were 
hidden  from  the  many  to  be  revealed  to  the  few.     During  his  school 
days  he  was  often  called  "Lincoln,"  from  his  resemblance  to  the  mar- 
tyred president  in  personal  appearance,  and  in  the  general  cast  of  his 
intellectual  and  social  nature.     Once  known  he  could  not  be  forgotten. 
His  individuality  was  strongly  marked.     He  was  universally  esteemed, 
and  his  untimely  death  brings  the  keenest  sorrow  to  hundreds  of  his 
early  mates,  as  well  as  to  the  friends  of  his  maturer  years. 

74.  Richard  Porter  taught  one  year  in  Perry,  one  in  Rantoul, 
one  in  Monticello,  and  three  years  in  country  schools.     In  1877  he 
removed  to  Kansas,  and  is  now  farming  near  Bavaria.     Pie  is  married 
and  has  two  children. 


CLASS  OF  1867. 

75.  Emily  (Chandler)  Hodgin,  immediately  after  graduation,  was 
married  to  her  classmate,  Cyrus  W.  Hodgin.     She  has  taught  only  one 
term.     They  reside  in  Terre  Haute,  Indiana. 

76.  Emily   (Cotton)  Collins   taught  in   Griggsville,    Collinsville, 
Cairo,  and  Decater — nine  years  in  all.     In  September,  1876,  she  was 
married  to  "Wm.  H.  Collins,  of  Quincy.     They  have  one  daughter. 

77.  Nellie  Forman,  immediately  after  graduation,  began  teaching 
in  West  Bridgewater,  Massachusetts.     She  remained  there  a  year  and 
a  half,  when  her  health  became  so  poor  that  she  was  obliged  to  resign. 
She  spent  two  years  in  the  study  of  music,  and  three  years  as  a  teacher 
in  Lynn,  Massachusetts.     For  seven  years  she  held  a  position  in  the 
Mercantile  Savings  Bank,  Boston.     Since  October,  1881,  she  has  been 
teaching  at  Hampton  Institute,  Virginia. 

78.  Mary  W.  French,  in    1867-9,  taught  in  the   Cairo   schools. 
Since  1869,  she  has  been  an  assistant  in  the  Decatur  high  school. 


STATE  NORMAL  UNIVERSITY.  69 

79.  Eurania  (Gorton)  Hanna,  from  September,  1867,  to  June, 
1869,  taught  in  the  Kock  Island  high  school;  from  1869   to   June, 
1871,  in  the  Peru  high  school;    from  1871  to  June,  1872,  she  was 
principal  of  the  Aurora  preparatory,  and  from  September,  1872,  to 
May,  1874,  was  assistant  in  the  Aurora  high  school.     In  May,  1874, 
she  was  married  to  John  R.  Hanna,  of  Aurora.     They  have  one 
daughter. 

80.  Mary  R.  Gorton  was  born  in  Rock  Island,  Illinois,  in  1844, 
and  entered  the  Normal  School  in  December,  1862.     Having  had 
superior  advantages,  she  at  once  took  high  rank  in  .her  classes.     She 
remained   in   school   until   June,    1865,   when    she   interrupted   her 
studies  and  taught  a  year  in  Rock  Island.     Returning  in  the  fall  of 
1866,  she  completed  her  course,  graduating  in   the  class  of  1867. 
After  graduation,  she  returned  to  Rock  Island  and  taught  one  year 
in  the  high  school.     Pier  career  as  a  student  and  teacher  had  been  so 
eminently  successful  that  in  1868  she  was  called  to  a  position  in  the 
Cook  County  Normal  School,  where  she  remained  until  April,  1871. 
She  then  accepted  a  call  to  the  Normal  Department  of  the  Arkansas 
State  University.     In  June,  1876,  she  was  appointed  principal  of  this 
department.      In   June,   1877,    she    tendered   her  resignation,    and 
accepted  an  assistant's  place  in  the  Peabody  branch  high  school,  St. 
Louis.     Here  she   remained   until   her  death,  November  15,   1878. 
Her   appearance  was   unusually  prepossessing;    richly   endowed   in 
person  and  intellect,  with  a  rare  dignity  of  manner,  quick  sympathies, 
thorough  scholarship,  a  genius  for  governing,  and  a  noble  ambition 
to  excel.     She  produced  a  profound  impression  upon  all  who  came 
within  the  circle  of  her  influence.     Dr.  Harris,  in  a  recent  letter,  paid 
a  glowing  tribute  to  her  rare  qualities  of  mind  and  heart.     In  the  full 
maturity  of  a  noble  womanhood,  she  went  out  of  this  life  into  the 
infinite  possibilities  of  the  unseen. 

81.  Mary  (Pennell)  Barber  taught  in  the  model  school  the  spring 
term  of  1868,  and  again  from  January.  1869  to  June,  1870.     She  spent 
the  year  1870-1  at  vassar  College;    1871-2  she  taught  in  the  Peoria 
County  Normal  school;  from  January  to  June,  1874,  in  the  Polo  high 
school;   in  1874-5  in  the  Normal  public  school,  and  the  fall  of  1875  in 
the  Tuscola  high  school.     In  December,  1875,  she  was  married  to  A. 
II.  Barber.     They  reside  at  No.  9  Langley  Avenue,  Chicago. 

82.  Onias  C.  Barber  taught  one  year  in  Illinois,  and  two  years  in 
Mississippi.     He  has  been  on  a  farm  most  of  the  time  since  gradua- 
tion.    His  health,  feeble  from  childhood,  has  prevented  severe  labor. 
Since  1876  he  has  been  clerking  in  Tamaroa,  selling  books  and  sta- 
tionery. 

83.  John  R.  Edwards  was  born  in  Ohio,  in  1839,  and  became  a 
student  in  the  Normal  School  in  September,  1865,  taking  an  advanced 
standing.     He  completed  the  course  in  two  years,  graduating  with  the 
eighth  class  in  June,  1867.     He  was  at  once  appointed  to  the  princi- 


70  HISTORY    OF   THE   ILLINOIS 


of  the  Hyde  Park  schools,  and  remained  there  one  year.  In 
the  fall  of  1868  he  was  called  to  the  principalship  of  the  Evanston 
schools;  but  in  the  spring  of  1869  his  failing  health  obliged  him  to 
resign.  In  August  he  was  married  to  Miss  Annie  E.  Downs,  of  Hyde 
Park,  and  was  elected  principal  of  the  third  ward  school  in  Peoria. 
An  injury  received  during  the  war  had  seriously  broken  his  health,  and 
again  his  failing  strength  obliged  him  to  give  up  his  position,  which  he 
did  in  March,  1870.  He  removed  to  Hyde  Park,  where,  after  a  lin- 
gering illness  of  more  than  a  year,  he  died,  in  April,  1871.  He  was 
of  the  thousands  who  escaped  death  upon  the  field  of  battle  to  die  a 
victim  of  the  great  war  in  the  early  years  that  succeeded  it. 

84.  George  E.  Hinman  has  taught  five  years  since  graduation. 
He  has  spent  three  years  in  Colorado,  and  four  in  Ohio.     He  was 
married  in  1871,  but  lost  his  wife  in  1876.     He  is  now  living  on  a 
farm  near  Granville. 

85.  Cyrus  W.  Hodgin  was  married  to  Emily  Chandler  in  1867. 
They  have  one  child.     For  two  years  he  was  principal  of  the  Richmond, 
Indiana,  high  school,  and  for  three  years  was  principal  of  the  Henry 
County  independent  high  school.     From  September,  1872,  to  June, 
1881,  he  was  a  professor  in  the  State  Normal  School  in  Terre  Haute. 
He  then  resigned  this  position,  and  is  now  resting  and  doing  institute 
work. 

86.  Fred  J.  Seybold  has  not  taught  since  graduation.     He  acted 
as  book  agent  for  Sherwood  &  Co. ,  for  a  time,  and  subsequently  was 
admitted  to  the  bar.     His  address  is  not  known. 

87.  James  S.   Stevenson  was  married  in  1861;    1867-9  he  was 
principal  of  the  Sparta  schools;  1869-70  he  had  charge  of  the  fourth 
academic  department,   "Washington   University;  1870-2  he  was  prin- 
cipal of  the  Collinsville  schools,  and  since  September,  1872,  he  has 
been  principal  of  the  Bates  school,  St.  Louis.     His  address  is  1115  N. 
Park  Place. 


CLASS  OF  1868. 

88.  Ruthie  E.   (Baker)  Scarrat  was  principal  of  Normal  public 
high  school  three  years,  and  assistant  in  Alton  high  school  one  and 
one-half  years.     In  April,  1873,  she  was  married  to  Isaac  Scarrat, 
who  died  not  long  after.     She   subsequently  married   his  brother. 
She  taught  one  year  in  the  Chicago  schools,  after  the  death  of  her 
husband,  before  her  second  marriage.     Her  address  is  Mrs.  Nathan 
Scarrat,  Kansas  City,  Missouri. 

89.  Ann  Eliza   Bullock  taught,   1868-9,   near  Tonica.      Subse- 
quently she  taught  four  terms  in  Bloomington,  and  five  in  Tonica. 
She  is  not  teaching  now. 

90.  Jemima  S.  Burson  taught  four  years  in  Richmond,  Indiana, 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  71 

and  one  and  one-fourth  years  in  Spiceland,  Indiana,  but  is  not  teach- 
ing now,  on  account  of  ill  health.     Her  address  is  Richmond. 

91.  Lydia  A.  Burson  taught  four  years  in  Richmond,  one-third 
of  a  year  at  Carthage,  and  one  year  at  Spiceland,  Indiana.     Her 
health  will  not  permit  her  to  teach.     Her  address  is  Richmond. 

92.  Etta  L.  Dun  bar,  1868-70,  was  principal  of  the  Blackburn 
schools;  1870-74,  of  JDeKalb  schools.     She  was  then  obliged  to  give 
up  teaching  on  account  of  ill  health.     Three  years  were  spent  in 
taking  care  of  an  invalid  mother.     She  is  now  painting.    Her  address 
is  Longmont,  Colorado. 

93.  Anna  C.  Gates  taught  one  year  at  Tolono,  and  since  Septem- 
ber, 1869,  has  been  principal  of  the  Gravvis  school,  St.  Louis. 

94.  S.  Grace  (HarwocH)  Whitney  has  taught  one  year  at  Council 
Hill,  two  years  as  first  assistant  of  Alton  high  school,  and  three  years 
and  a  half  at  Clear  Creek,  Illinois.     In  April  she  was  married  to  Ezra 
Whitney,  of  Livingston  County,  New  York.     She  then  conducted  an 
educational   department  in  the   Henry    Republican,    and   'afterward 
devoted  her  attention  to  primary  work.     In  1879-81  she  taught  in 
Magnolia,  and  is  now  teaching  in  the  Soldiers'  Orphans'  Home. 

95.  Lucia  (Kingsley)  Manning  was,  for  three  years,  principal  of 
the  primary  department  of  model  school,  and  for  four  years  was  assist- 
ant in  the  Peru,  Indiana,  high  school.     She  was  married  August,  1870, 
to  G.  G.  Manning,  of  Peru. 

96.  Eliza  A.  (Pratt)  Kean  for  four  years  was  a  teacher  in  the 
Bloomington  high  school.      Her  address  is   99  Washington   Street, 
Chicago. 

97.  Emma  T.  (Robinson)  Kleckner  has  taught  two  years  and  two 
months.      She  was  married  in  July,  1870.     Her  address  is  Freeport, 
Illinois. 

98.  Mary  J.  (Smith)  Bogardus  taught  one  year  at  Marengo,  and 
two  terms  in  Springfield.     Her  address  is  Mrs.  S.  Bogardus,  Spring- 
field, Illinois. 

99.  Cornelia   Valentine   was   born   in   Indiana,   in    1846.      She 
entered  the  Normal  School  in  September,  1865,  and  remained  until 
her  graduation,  June,  1868.     The  year  of  1868-9  she  taught  in  Earl- 
ham  College,  Richmond,  Indiana.     The  succeeding  year,  and  until 
April,  1871,  she  was  assistant  in  the  Rushville  (Illinois)  high  school, 
leaving  this  position  on  account  of  the  sickness  and  death  of  her 
sister.     The  succeeding  year  she  was  an  assistant  in  the  Rock  Island 
high  school,  and  the  year  following  (1872-3)  she  held  a  similar  posi- 
tion in  Aurora.     She  remained  in  Aurora  only  five  months,  ill  health 
compelling  her  to  resign.     After  several  weeks  of  rest,  she  accepted 
the  chair  of  mathematics  in  the  Methodist  College  in  Jacksonville, 
Illinois.     Here  she  remained  until  the  summer  of  1874.     In  Septem- 
ber, 1874,  she  returned  to  Rock  Island,  first  as  assistant,  but  soon 
after  as  principal  of  the  high  school.     She  remained  until  April, 


72  HISTORY  OF  THE  ILLINOIS 

1877,  when  a  sudden  attack  of  typhoid  malarial  fever  obliged  her  to 
resign.  She  returned  to  her  home  in  .Richmond,  followed  by  the 
anxious  solicitude  of  loving  friends.  She  endured  her  terrible  suffer- 
ing without  a  murmur,  and  on  the  twentieth  of  June,  1877,  "entered 
into  rest." 

100.  Clara  E.  "Watts  was  one  year  matron  of  temporary  Soldiers' 
Orphans'   Home,  for  two  years  was  teacher  in  Soldiers'   Orphans' 
Home  at  Normal,  and  one  year  was  principal  of  the   intermediate 
department  of  the  Normal  public  schools.     She  is  now  residing  in 
Normal. 

101.  Stephen  Bogardus,  in  August,  1868,  married  Miss  Mary  J. 
Smith.    For  two  years  he  was  principal  of  the  Marengo  schools.    Since 
September,  1870,  he  has  been  proprietor  9f  the  Springfield  Business 
College. 

102.  William  A.  McBane  taught  two  years  at  Cairo  and  Metrop- 
olis, published  a  weekly  paper  three  years,  purchased  a  ferry  franchise 
at  Metropolis,  and  ran  a  steam  ferry  three  years.     He  then  went  into 
the  real  estate   business,  and  has  taught  but  one   year  (1880-1  in 
Metropolis")  since.     His  address  is  Metropolis,  Illinois. 

103.  Henry  McCormSck.     See  page  50. 

104.  Jacob  Rightsell  was  one  year  principal  of  a  ward  school,  and 
for  three  years  superintendent  of  city  schools,  at  Little  Rock.     He  was 
married  in  August,  1871.     For  two  years  he  had  charge  of  the  H.  R. 
library,  Washington,  D.  C.     He  then  was  county  superintendent  of 
Pulaski  County,  Arkansas,  one  year.      He  is  now  principal  of  the 
largest  graded  school  in  Arkansas, — Peabody  school — in  Little  Rock. 

105.  William  Russell  was  married  in  August,  1868.     1868-9  he 
taught  in  Newport,  Indiana;  1869-73  at  Marion,  Indiana;  one  year  in 
Normal  School  at  Terre  Haute,  and  1874-7  at  Salem,  Indiana.     Since 
1877  he  has  been  teaching  in  Marion.     He  has  charge  of  a  township 
school  six  to  seven  months  a  year,  and  is  employed  in  a  Normal  School 
about  twenty  weeks  a  year. 

106.  Elma  Valentine  was  born  in  Indiana  in  1849.     She  entered 
school  in  1865  and  graduated  in  1868.     Immediately  after  graduation 
she  became  a  teacher  in  the  Friends'  Academy  in  Richmond,  Indiana. 
She  remained  there  until  the  latter  part  of  February,  1871,  when  failing 
health  obliged  her  to  resign.     Her  position  was  very  agreeable,  and 
was  not  the  occasion  of  her  illness.     In  spite  of  medical  assistance 
and  the  tender  care  of  loving  friends,  she  gradually  sank  away,  until 
the  fourteenth  of  April,  when  she  passed  from  earth. 

107.  Annie  M.    (Edwards)   Dougherty  (H.   S.)  was   married   in 
December,  1871,  to  N.  C.  Dougherty.     She  taught  six  months  in  a 
seminary  in  St.  Louis,  and   one  year  in  the  Princeton  high  school. 
Her  address  is  Peoria. 

108.  R.  Arthur  Edwards   (H.    S.)  graduated  from  the   Normal 
Department  with  class  of  1870.     1870-1  he  was  principal  of  Paxton 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  73 

schools;  1871-2  of  Monticello  schools;  1872-3  at  Dartmouth  College; 
1873^  teacher  of  Latin  and  Greek  in  Rock  Eiver  Seminary,  Mt. 
Morris;  1874-76  was  junior  and  senior  in  Princeton  College,  Xew 
.Jersey,  graduating  in  1876;  1878-80  was  acting  professor  of  English 
literature  and  rhetoric  in  Knox  College.  He  was  married  in  December, 
1ST!),  to  Miss  Alice  M.  Shirk,  of  Peru,  Indiana.  He  is  now  in  a  bank 
in  Peru. 

CLASS  OF  1869. 

109.  Lizzie  L.  Alden,  1869-70,  was  principal  of  schools  in  Cale- 
donia, Illinois;  1870-1  was  assistant  in  Lena  high  school;  1871— 1  she 
taught  a  country  school  near  Brimfield;  1874-5  traveled  in  the  east; 
1 875-7  taught  in  the  Burton,  Kansas,  schools.     She  is  now  teaching  in 
Sedgwick. 

110.  Melissa  (Benton)  Overman  taught  in  Geneseo  from  1869  to 
1871.     In  the  spring  term  of  1872  she  taught  in  the  Dixon  high  school, 
and  in  1872-3  in  the  Freeport  high  school.     In  1873  she  was  married 
to  A.  H.  Overman.     Address  Mrs.  A.  H.  Overman,  care  of  Jansen, 
McClurg  &  Co.,  Chicago. 

111.  Ella  K.  Briggs   taught  one   year  at  her  home   in   Logan 
County,  two  years  at  Lincoln,  one  year  at  Delavan,  one  year  at  Jersey- 
vine,  and  was  two  years  principal  of  Cream  Ridge,  Logan  County, 
schools.     After  resting  one  year  she  taught  at  Freeport  two  years. 
Her  health  failed,  and  she  went  to  Minnesota,  where  she  suffered  a 
long  and  painful  illness.     Since  June,  1879,  she  has  taught  two  years 
in  Freeport,  Illinois. 

112.  Lucretia  C.   (Davis)  Ramsey,   1869-70,  taught  in  the  pri- 
mary department  of  Quincy  College;    1870-1  in  Rushville  schools. 
Her  address  is  Rushville,  Illinois. 

113.  Jane  (Pennell)  Carter  taught  one  year  in  Normal  public 
schools;  seven  months  in  country  schools  in  McLean  County;  three 
mouths  in  Bloomington  schools,  and  one  year  in  primary  department 
of  model  school.     Her  address  is  Peru,  Illinois. 

114.  Maria  (Sykes)  Nichols  taught  two  years  in  Geneseo,  one 
year  in  Kewanee,  and  was  for  four  years  principal  of  the  Wyoming, 
Iowa,  schools.     She  was  married  in  1876.     Address,  care  of  Austin 
Sykes,  Kewanee,  Illinois. 

115.  Helen  (Wadleigh)  Willis  taught  three  years,  one  near  Rut- 
land, and  two  in  Missouri.     Her  address  is  Neosho  Falls,  Kansas. 

116.  Ben.  Allensworth  was  principal  of  the  Elmwood  schools, 
1869-72;  editor  in  Pekin  in  1873,  and  taught  three  years  in  Minier. 
He  is  county  superintendent  of  Tazewell  County.     His  address  is 
Minier. 

117.  Hugh  R.    Edwards  was  married  in  1869.     He  taught  as 
principal  of  the  third  ward  schools,  Peoria,  one  year;   of  sixth  ward, 


74  HISTORY   OF  THE   ILLINOIS 

one  year;  of  third  ward,  Sterling,  one  year;  and  of  Byron  schools, 
one  year.  For  three  years  he  ran  the  Edwards'  Seminary,  Sterling. 
The  last  five  years  he  has  been  in  the  second  ward  school,  Peoria. 

118.  Alfred  C.  Cotton,  1869-70,  was  principal  of  the  Richview 
schools;    1870-1  of   Buckley  schools;    1871-3  of   Gilman  schools; 
1873^t  of  Grand  Tower  schools ;  1874-6  of  Griggsville  schools.     He 
graduated  at  Rush  Medical  College  in  April,  1878,  and  is  now  prac- 
ticing at  Turner  Junction,  Illinois.     He  is  also  lecturing  in   spring 
course  at  Rush.     He  was  married  to  Miss  Olive  Rider. 

119.  Charles  H.  Crandell  was  principal  of    Petersburg  schools 
one  year;  of  ninth  ward,  Troy,  New  York,  schools,  five  years;  of 
Atlanta  schools,  one  year;    of  Lexington,  Illinois,  schools,  one-half 
year ;  of  Hilliard,  Ohio,   schools,  one  year ;  of  Worthington,  Ohio, 
three  years,  and  of  Flint  schools,  one  year.     He  was  married  in  1876, 
and  is  now  in  Worthington. 

120.  William  R.  Edwards  taught  in  McLean,  Illinois,  three  years. 
In  the  summer  of  1870  he  moved  to  Charles  City,  Iowa,  where  lie 
married  Miss  Josie  Bigelow.     He  remained  there  two  years  in  the 
mercantile  business.     In  1872  he  became  principal  of  the  Xew  Hamp- 
ton, Iowa,  schools,  remaining  one  year.     He  was  for  five  years  prin- 
cipal of  Osage,  Iowa,  schools.     In  1878  he  resigned  and  returned  to 
New  Hampton,  where  he  is  in  the  mercantile  business,  and  also  editor 
of  the  New  Hampton  Courier. 

121.  Charles  Howard. 

122.  Isaac  F.  Kleckner  was  married  in  July,  1870.      For  four 
years  he  was  superintendent  of  Stephenson  County.     In  1873  he  was 
elected  county  clerk,  which  position  he  now  holds.    Address,  Freeport, 
Illinois.. 

123.  George  G.  Manning,  1869-70,  taught  at  Fulton;    1870-1  at 
Jacksonville,  Illinois.     In  the  summer  of  1871  he  was  made  superin- 
tendent 'of  Peru,  Indiana,  schools.      He  is  still  there.     In  August, 
1870,  he  was  married  to  Lucia  Kingsley. 

124.  George  W.  Mason  was  married  in  August,  1875.     He  was 
principal  of  Paris  high  school  three  months;  of  Charleston  high  school 
six  months;  of  Kramer  schools,  Little  Rock,  one  year;  of  Pekin  high 
school  two  years;  of  Hannibal  high  school  three  years,  and  taught  at 
Lewisburg,  Arkansas,  one  year.     Since  1878  he  has  been  engaged  in 
the   study   and  practice   of  medicine.      For  a  time,  he   was   house 
physician  in  Mercy   Hospital,  Chicago.       He   is   now  practicing  in 
Bloornington. 

125.  Charles  W.  Moore,  1869-72,  taught  in  Fremont;  1872-4  was 
principal  of  Ridott  schools;   1874-5  of  Cedarville  schools;  1875-6  of 
Lena  schools;  1876-7  in  country  schools  in  Stephenson  County;  1880-1 
was  principal  of  Storm  Lake,  Iowa,  schools.     He  is  now  employed  in 
the  postofifice  at  Storm  Lake.-     He  was  married  in  1871. 

126.  Christopher  D.    Mowry  was    principal  of   the  Pecatonica 


STATE    NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  75 

schools  1869-72,  and  of  the  Anamosa,  Iowa,  schools  1872-4.  He 
then  entered  Kush  Medical  College,  and  graduated  in  1876.  To  recover 
broken  health,  he  spent  the  following  year  on  the  plains  and  in  the 
mountains.  For  four  years  he  practiced  at  Osage,  Iowa.  He  is  now 
in  Aurora,  Illinois.  He  was  married  in  1869  to  Fannie  E.  Alder- 
man. 

127.  James  "W.  Hays  in  1869-70  was  principal  of  a  grammar 
school  in  Paris,  and  the  next  year  was  principal  of  the  high  school  in 
the  same  place.     Since  September,  1871,  except  one  year  when  he  did 
not  teach,  he  has  been  principal  of  the  Urbana  schools. 

128.  Gratiot  "Washburn  (H.  S.)  immediately  after  his  graduation, 
he  joined  his  father,  Hon.  E.  B.  Washburne,  in  Paris.     He  remained 
there  most  of  the  time  until  his  father  returned  to  America.     He  then 
entered  the  New  York  Custom  House,  and  was  there  at  last  report. 


CLASS  OF  1870. 

129.  Louisa  C.  (Allen)  Gregory  was  principal  of  the  Alton  high 
school  one  year,  and  for  two  years  was  assistant  in  the  Peoria  County 
Normal  School.     In  June,  1874,  she  was  elected  professor  of  domestic 
economy  in  the  Champaign  Industrial  University,  which  position  she 
resigned  in  June,  1880,  and  is  now  in  Washington,  D.  C.     In  1879 
she  was  married  to  Dr.  John  M.  Gregory,  Regent  of  the  University. 

130.  Barbara  Denning  taught  in  Shawneetown  in  1870-1,  and  in 
1871-3  in  Cedar  Point,  LaSalle  County.     In  1873  she  went  to  Rosario, 
Argentine  Confederation,  as  mission  teacher.     She  will  return  to  her 
home  soon. 

131.  Alice  Emmons  was  the   daughter  of   Judge  Sylvester  Em- 
mons  and  wife,  and  was  born  in  Illinois  in  1848.     She  entered  school 
in  September,  1865.     Her  course  was  interrupted  by  occasional  terms 
of  absence,  so  that  she  did  not  graduate  until  1870.     She  began  teach- 
ing in  Cairo  the  following  September,  but  after  three  weeks  of  school 
work  her  health  failed,  and,  very  much  to  the  regret  of  the  Board, 
she  was  obliged  to  resign.     The  year  was  spent  at  her  home  in  Beards- 
town.     The  succeeding  year  she  returned  to  Cairo,  but  after  two  weeks 
in  the  school  room  she  was  called  to  the  death-bed  of  a  dear  friend. 
She  returned  to  her  home  seriously  ill,  and  in  a  few  days  she  passed 
away,  October  2,  1871.     A  brilliant  scholar,  thoroughly  conscientious 
and  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  every  duty,  all  had  anticipated  for  her 
a  future  of  rare  usefulness.     Though  a  decade  has  passed  away  since 
her  death,  the  memory  of  this  beautiful  girl  is  as  though  but  yesterday 
she  had  gone  out  from  her  schoolmates  to  her  brief  career. 

132.  Cara  E.  Higby  taught  1870-1  in  the  Skinner  school,  Chicago; 
1871-2  in  the  Blow  school,  St.  Louis;    1872-7  in  the  Skinner  school. 
again,  and  1877-80  in  the  West  Division  high  school,  Chicago.     She 


7<>  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

is  now  employed  in  the  West  Side  high  school.     Her  address  is  374 
West  Jackson  Street. 

133.  Emma  A.  (Howard)  Gardner  taught  in  Warrensburg,  Mis- 
souri, 1870-1;  in  Carbondale,  Illinois,  1871-2,  and  in  Los  Angeles, 
California,  1872-4.     In  January,  1874,  she  was  married  to  Henry  I. 
Gardner.     Her  address  is  Orange,  California. 

134.  Margaret  (Hunter)  Regan  from  September,  1870,  to  June, 
1874,  taught  in  the  Mississippi  State  Normal  School;  the  last  three 
years  she  was  principal  of  the  school.     In  1874  she  was  married  to  L. 
T.  Regan,  of  the  class  of  1870.     Their  home  is  Morris. 

135.  Maria  L.  (Kimberly)  Perry  taught  two  years  in  Wanvnsburg, 
Missouri,  and  one  year  in  Fort  Smith,  Arkansas.     She  was  married  in 
1874.     Her  address  is  164  Canfield  Street,  Detroit. 

136.  Mary  D.  LeBaron,  in  1870-1,  taught  in  Oneida;  1871-2  in 
DeKalb  County ;  1872-9  in  the  Rolling  Mills  schools,  Chicago,  and 
for  one  year  she  conducted  a  private  primary  school  in  Chicago.    She 
has  not  taught  since  June,  1880.     Address  741  Dixon  Street,  Chicago. 

137.  Letitia  (Mason)  Quine,  immediately  after  her  graduation, 
commenced  teaching  in  the  Pontiac  high  school,  where  she  remained 
one  year.     The  winters  of  1871-2,  1872-3,  1873-4,  were  spent  in  the 
Woman's  Medical  College,  Chicago,  from  which  she  graduated  in 
the  spring  of  1874.     By  request  of  the  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary 
Society,  in  the  fall  of  1874,  she  went  to  Kin  Kiang,  China,  to.  estab- 
lish a  medical  dispensary.     She  remained  two  years,  when  she  was 
obliged,  by  ill   health,  to  return.     She  succeeded  during  her  stay, 
however,  in  permanently  establishing  the  dispensary.     In  November, 
1876,  she  was  married  to  Wm.  E.  Quine,  M.  D.,  of  Chicago. 

138.  Adella  (Nance)  Shilton  taught  three  and  a  half  years  in  the 
aggregate,  in  Wetherstield,  Galva,  and  Moline.     In  1874  her  eyes 
became  so  weak  as  to  oblige  her  to  leave  the  school  room.     In  1879 
she  was  married  to  Mr.  C.  A.  Shilton.     They  reside  in  Kewanee. 

139.  Adelaide  V.  Rutherford  taught  one  year  in  Missouri,  one 
in  Texas,  one  in  Plainview,  and  one  in  Chetopa,  Kansas.     In    the 
meantime,  she  spent  one  year  in  Michigan  University.     After  Is 7 7 
she  was  at  her  home  in  Girard,  caring  for  her  invalid  mother.     She 
remained  at  home  until  August,  1880.     She  then  returned  to  Ann 
Arbor  high  school,  where  she  expected  to  graduate  in  June,  1832,  but 
was  compelled  to  leave  in  April  on  account  of  sickness  at  home. 

140.  Fannie  (Smith)  Cole,  in  1870-1,  taught  in  Paxton,  and  in 
1871-2   in   the   intermediate   department  of    Woman's    College,   in 
Evanston.     For  the  next  two  years  she  taught  "good  manners  and 
the   etiquette  of  occasions"   in   various   institutions.      In   1S74   she 
became  the  "paying  teller"  in  the  office  of  the  treasurer  of  Cook 
County.     She  remained  there  until  her  marriage  to  Madison  B.  Cole, 
in  July,   1875.     She  has  done  some  teaching  since  her  marriage. 
Their  present  residence  is  Galveston,  Texas. 


STATK    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  77 

141.  Armada  (Thomas)  Bevan  taught  three  years  in  Lincoln,  one 
year  in  Jerseyville,  and  two  years  in  Delavan.     In  1877  she  was 
married  to  John  L.  Bevan,  of  Atlanta.     They  have  one  daughter. 

142.  Marion  (Weed)  Martin  taught  one  year  in  Loda,  and  one 
year  in  Lacon.     She  was  married   in   1872,  to   Irwin   A.  Martin,  of 
New  York.     They  have   one   daughter.     Her   address    is  36  West 
Forty-Sixth  Street,  New  York. 

143.  Ben.  W.  Baker  was  principal  of  the  grammar  department 
of  the  model  school  for  four  years.     Since  then  he  has  been  preach- 
ing.    He  is  married,  and  has  three  children.     In  1881  he  went  to 
Denver,  Colorado. 

144.  Joseph  Carter,   while   pursuing  his   studies,  was  for  two 
years  principal  of  the  grammar  department  of   the  model  school. 
After  graduation,  he  spent  two  years  in  farming,  and  studied  law  and 
edited  a  paper  for  two  years.     He  became  principal  of  the  Normal 
public  schools  in  1874,  and  remained  in  that  position  until  June, 
1878,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  the  superintend ency  of  the  Peru 
schools,  where  he  still  remains.     In   1870  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Jane  E.    Pennell,   of  the  class  of  1869.     In  addition   to  the   above 
work,  Mr.  Carter  has  done  a  large  amount  of  institute  work  in  Wood- 
ford,  McLean,  and  LaSalle  Counties. 

145.  Robert  A.  Childs  was  principal  of  the  Amboy  schools  for 
three  years.     He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1873,  and  since  then  has 
been  practicing  in  Chicago.     In  December,  1873,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Mary  Coffeen.     They  have  three  children.  •  Their  home  is  in 
Ilinsdale.  . 

146.  James  W.  Dewell,  1870-2,  taught  near  Carrollton ;  1872-3 
at  Barry;    1873-4  at   Elm  Grove;    1874-6  in   Kane.     In  1876  he 
bought  a  farm  near  Franklin,  in  Morgan  County,  and  resides  there. 
He  rents  his  farm  and  teaches,  having  taught  three  years  in  the  same 
school.     He  was  married  in  1872. 

147.  Samuel  W.  Garman,  1870-1,  was  principal  of  the  Missis- 
sippi State  Normal  School,  at  Holly  Springs.     1871-2  he  taught  in 
Lake  Forrest  Seminary.     1872-3  was  spent  i»  the  Rocky  Mountains 
with  Prof.  Cope,  of  the  United  States  geological  survey.     Since  1873 
he  has  been  connected  with  the  Agassiz  museum,  in  Cambridge.     He 
has  traveled  quite  extensively,  having   spent  some  time   in  South 
America,  especially  in  the  Titicaca  Valley.     At  last  accounts  he  was 
engaged  in  "deep  sea,"  and  similar  work. 

148.  John  W.  ''Gibson,    1870-2,   was   principal   of  one   of  the 
schools  in  Belvidere.     He  was  married   several  years   ago.     Since 
the  summer  of  1881  he  has  been  in  business. 

149.  Benjamin   Hunter   taught    one    year   in    Oneida.      Subse- 
quently he  practiced  law  in  St.  Louis.     Present  address  is  unknown. 

150.  John  W.  Lummis,  1870-1,  taught  in  Clayton;    1871-2  in 
Elm  Grove.     In  the  fall  of  1872  he  was  married,  and  moved  to  a 


78  HISTORY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

farm  near  LaPrairio,  where  they  still  reside.  With  a  single  excep- 
tion, he  taught  every  winter  until  June,  1880,  since  which  time  he 
has  not  taught.  His  teaching  has  all  been  done  in  Adams  County, 
except  in  the  winter  of  1879-80,  when  he  taught  in  Hancock  County. 

151.  John  H.  Parr  taught  in  Cedarville  four  years,  and  in  Mt. 
Morris  Seminary  two   years.     He  is  now  a  student  in  the  Chicago 
Theol6gical  Seminary. 

152.  Levi  T.  Regan  was  superintendent  of  Logan  County  for  four 
years.     1874— 5  he  was  principal  of  the  Lincoln  schools;  1875-8  of  the 
Amboy  schools,  and  since  September,  1878,  he  has  had  charge  of  the 
Moms  schools.     Married  Margaret  Hunter,  July,  1874,  of  same  class. 

153.  Wade  H.  Richardson  was  married  to  Lydia  Corbett  in  August 
1870.     He  taught  in  Kankakee  and  Rantoul  1870-2.     From  October, 

1872,  to  June,  1882,  except  one  year  which  he  spent  in  the  south,  ho 
was  principal  of  a  ward  school  in  Milwaukee.     In  1878  his  wife  and 
one  child  died  of  diphtheria.     Two  daughters  survive  her.     In  the 
summer  of  1880  he  was  married  to  Mary  A.  Hawley,  of  the  class  of 

1873.  He  is  now  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Fenn,  Williams  &  Co., 
booksellers,  stationers,  etc. 

15-i.  John  W.  Smith  was  principal  of  the  Pontiac  schools  four 
years,  and  taught  one  year  in  California.  For  four  years  he  was 
engaged  in  business  in  Pontiac  and  McDowell.  He  was  employed 
during  1881-2  as  teacher  in  the  Illinois  Reform  School. 

155.  William  Burry  (H.  S.)  entered  Harvard  in  1870,  and  grad- 
uated in  1874.     He  then  studied  law,  practiced  in  Chicago,  and  is  now 
a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Isham,  Lincoln  &  Bur^y,  of  that  city. 

156.  Wm.  II.  Smith  (H.  S.),  1870-1,  taught  at  Granville;  1871-3 
at  Tonica;  1873-4  was  in  business;  1874—5  taught  at  Farmer  City. .  In 
November,   1875,   he  was  elected  county  superintendent  of  McLean 
County,  to  fill  unexpired  term.     He  was  re-elected  in  1877.     He  was 
married  in  1870  to  Miss  Nellie  Galusha.     He  resigned  the  superinten- 
dency  in  December,  1881,  to  become  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the 
Saturday  Evening  Call,  Peoria. 

157.  William  Duff  Haynie  (H.  S.)  entered  Harvard,  and  gradu- 
ated in  1874.     He  studied  law  one  year  at  Cairo,  graduated  from 
Wesleyan  law  school  in  June,  1876,  and  has  since  been  practicing 
law  in  Bloomington. 

158.  Almira  A.  Bacon  (II.  S.)     No  report. 

159.  Nellie  H.  Galusha  (H.  S.)  was  married  to  W.  H.  Smith, 
and  taught  with  him  one  year.     Her  address  is  Peoria. 


CLASS  OF  1871. 

160.  Charlotte  (Blake)  Myers,  1871-2,  taught  in  the  Carbondale 
schools;  1872-4  in  DeKalb;  1874-8  in  the  Normal  public  schools; 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  70 

is 78-9  iu  Metamora;  1879-81  in  Streator;  1881-2  in  Morris.  In 
June,  1882,  she  was  married  to  Edward  Myers.  They  reside  in 
Streator. 

161.  Isabella  (Huston)  Tabor  taught  one  year  in  Atlanta,  one 
in  Lincoln,  and  one  in  Springfield.     June,  1875,  she  was  married  to 
Rev.  Manly  Tabor.     Her  address  is  Middletown,  Connecticut. 

162.  Julia  E.  Kennedy.     See  page  51. 

163.  Harriet  (Kern)  Walker  taught  five  years  in  the  Blooming- 
ton   schools.      In  1877  she  was  married  to  Mr.  T.  M.  Walker,   of 
Blooinington. 

164.  Celestia  M.  Mann.     No  report. 

165.  Frances  I.  Moron ey  taught  in  Minnesota  in  1871-3.     Since 
the    spring  of  1875   she  has  been   teaching  in   the   Blooinington, 
schools. 

166.  Frances    (Rawlings)    Cunningham  taught  in  Centralia  iu 
1871-2,  and  in  Pekin  in  1872-3,  and  in  the  Soldiers'  Orphans'  Home 
in  1873-4.     In  1874  she  was  married  to  Dr.  T.  N.  Cunningham.    She 
taught   one  year  after  her   marriage,    in   Topeka,     Illinois.      Her 
address  is  Sheffield,  Illinois. 

167.  Isabel  (Rugg)  Reed  taught  one  year  in  Odell,   and  two  in 
Pontiac.      In  1873  she  married   N.   H.   Reed.      Their  home  is  in 
Pontiac,  Illinois. 

168.  Francis  (Shaver)  Thompson    taught  in  Chicago"  until  the 
great  fire,  and  finished   the  year  in   Woodstock.      In   1872-3   shev 
taught  in  Pekin,  and  in  1873-4  in  Chicago,  until  her  marriage,  which 
took     place     in   ^December,    1873.      Her    address    is    Mrs.   J.  T. 
Thompson,  146  Twenty-Seventh  Street,  Chicago. 

169.  Emma  G.   Strain  taught  in  the  Bloomiugton  schools    for 
seven  years,    and  finally  resigned   on  account  of  ill   health.     Her 
address  is  Louisville,  Kentucky. 

170.  Frances  (Weyand)  Latham  taught  three  months  iu  Sorn- 
anauk,  six  months  near  Belleflower,  and  two  in  Bloomington.     She 
was  married  in  February,  1874,  to  W.  A.  Latham.     They  reside  on 
a  farm  near  Osman,  in  McLean  County,  Illinois. 

171.  W.  C.  Griffith,  on  leaving  school,  took  charge  of  the  Tay- 
lorville  schools  and  retained  the  position  for  five  years.     In  1876  he 
resigned  and  accepted  the  general  agency  for  Indiana  of  the  Aetna 
Life  Insurance  Company.     Mr.  Griffith  was  married  to  Miss  Elnora 
Libby,  a  high-school  student,  in  1871.     He  resides  at  Indianapolis. 

172.  Henry  F.  Holcomb  entered  the  Normal  School  from  Lake 
County,  September,  1867,  and  graduated  in  1871.     Immediately  after 
graduation,  he  commenced  teaching,  but  after  a  few  weeks  was  sud- 
denly stricken  down,  and  died  in  a  few  days.     He  was  a  man  of 
unusually  good  health,  and  was  full  of  life  and  physical  vigor. 

173.  Andrew  T.  Lewis  taught  only  two  years.     He  was  admitted 
to  the  bar,  but  has  not  practiced,  having  been  engaged  in  publishing 


80  HISTORY    ()K    TIIK    ILLINOIS 

a  newspaper  most  of  the  time  since  graduation.  In  1879  lie  went 
west  and  engaged  in  teaching  in  Central  City,  Nevada.  In  1880-1 
he  was  principal  of  the  Deadwood  schools,  and  since  has  been  in  Col- 
orado, Utah,  and  Montana.  He  is  now  in  Urbana.  Mr.  Lewis  was 
married  some  years  ago,  but  lost  his  wife  a  few  months  after  leaving 
Illinois. 

174:.  T.  A.  H.  Norman  taught  four  years,  and  then  took  the 
course  of  study  in  the  American  Medical  College,  St.  Louis.  lie 
practiced  for  a  time,  and  then  returned  to  teaching,  having  been 
employed  for  three  years  near  Martinsville,  Illinois.  He  was  mar- 
ried, shortly  after  leaving  school,  to  Miss  Pauline  Bartholdt,  a  lady 
who  will  be  well  remembered  by  the  students  of  1870-1.  He  has 
retired  to  a  farm  near  Martinsville. 

175.  Edgar  D.  Plummer  has  taught  but  one  year,  his  health 
having  failed  during  his  school  course.     lie  is  engaged  in  business  in 
Heyworth,  Illinois. 

176.  James  O.  Polhemus  was  a  classmate  of  the  two  preceding, 
and  entered  school  in  September,  1868.     After  graduation  he  taught 
in  Panolia;    Chester,  Ohio;    near  Paxton,  Illinois;    and  in  Ludlow, 
Secor,  and  Gridley.     At  the  close  of  his  work  in  the  last-named  place 
he  was  quite  ill.     He  had  a  distressing  cough  which  soon  developed 
into  hemorrhage  of  the  lungs.     He  survived  the  attack  about  a  month, 
dying  August  15,  1877.      His  widowed  mother  resides  in  El  Paso, 
Illinois. 

177.  James  R.  Richardson  taught  in  Sparta,  seven   months,  in 
1871-2;   six  and  one-half  months  in  Arcadia,  in  1872-3;   nine  months 
in  district  schools,  in  1873-4;    seven  months  in  district  schools,  near 
Jacksonville,  in  1874-5;  at  Mauvaisterre,  in  1875-7;   at  Union  Grove, 
in  1877-8;  at  Woodson,  in  1877-9;  five  months  near  Jacksonville,  in 
1879-80;    at  Woodson,  in  1880-1;   at  Franklin,  in  1880-2.      All  the 
above  work,  except  the  first,  was  done  in  Morgan  County.       In  1S77 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  M.  Williams,  a  former  student  of  the 
Normal  School.     His  address  is  Jacksonville,  Illinois. 

178.  R.  Morris  Waterman  entered  school  in  September,  1867,  and 
devoted  four  years  to  his  work,  taking  the  classical  course  in  order  to 
fit  himself  for  teaching  the  ancient  languages,  and  graduating  with  the 
class  of  1871.     He  spent  the  summer  with  his  parents  on  the  farm 
near  Barrington,  Illinois,  and  in  July  was  appointed  to  the  principal- 
ship  of  the  Blue  Island  schools.     A  few  days  before  the  schools  were 
to  open  he  was  somewhat  indisposed,  and  the  beginning  of  the  term 
was  deferred.      He  gradually  failed,  and  in  three  weeks  died.      Mr. 
Waterman  was  an  especial  favorite  while  at  school.     The  students  of 
ten  years  ago  vividly  recall  the  quiet,  unassuming  gentleman  with  a 
keen  sense  for  humor,  a  kindly  word  and  willing  hand  for  any  enter- 
prise that  promised  good  to  the  school  or  his  society — the  Wrightonian. 
Having  fitted  himself  for  any  position  in  the  schools  of  the  State,  much 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  81 

was  expected  of  him;  but  at  the  beginning  of  his  career,  standing  on 
the  verge;  of  manhood,  crowned  with  the  love  of  friends  and  the  sin- 
cere respect  of  all  who  knew  him,  he  died. 

179.  John    X.    Wilson   was   principal   of  the   sixth   district   in 
Pcoria,  1871  to  June,  1879.     He  has  not  taught  since  the  latter  date. 
Mr.  Wilson  was  married  in  1866. 

180.  John  P.  Yoder,  1871-2,  was  principal  of  the  Blue  Island 
schools;  1872-3  he  was  in  business  in  Chicago;  1873-4  he  taught  a 
district  school  in  McLean  County;  1874-80  he  was  principal  of  the 
Danvers  schools.     In  September,   1881,  he  became  principal  of  the 
Bushnell  schools.     He  is  married,  and  has  three  children. 

181.  Alice  C.  Chase  (H.  S.)     Chicago. 


CLASS  OF  1872. 

182.  Anna  G.  Bowen,  her  health  not  having  been  such  as  to 
permit   her  to   teach   continually,   has   taught  thirteen   terms,   and 
expects  to  resume  her  work  as  soon  as  she  is  able.     Her  present 
address  is  78  Aberdeen  Street,  Chicago. 

183.  Martha  A.  Fleming,  from  September,  1872,  to  June,  1876, 
was  principal  of  a  grammar  department  in  the  Hyde  Park  schools. 
She  resigned   to   accept  a  position   in   the   Peoria   County  Normal 
Schools,  where  she  remained  until  1878.     Since  that  time  she  has 
been  teaching  in  Chicago.     For  one  year  and  a  half,  she  was  con- 
nected with  one  of  the  leading  seminaries  for  young  ladies — Park 
Institute.     She  resigned  this  position  in  September,  1880,  and  in  the 
following  month  took  a  position  in  the  primary  department  of  the 
Oakland  school,  where  she  remains.     Her  address  is  37  Oakwood 
Avenue. 

184.  Lenore  Franklin  taught  in  the  Normal  public  schools  for 
five  years ;  in  the  Delevan  schools  for  two-  years  ;    in  the  Rockford 
schools  part  of  1876-80  ;  in  Pueblo,   Colorado,  schools,  1880-1,   and 
in  Princeton  in  1881-82.     She  is  now  teaching  in  Belvidere. 

185.  Mary  C.  Furry,  for  three  years  succeeding  her  graduation, 
taught  in  the  Normal  public  schools.     She  then  taught  one  term  in  a 
family  school ;  one  year  in  the  Sterling  schools ;    two  years    in    a 
country  school  near   Sterling,  and  since  September,  1880,  she  has 
been  teaching  in  Sterling. 

186.  Clara  (Gaston)  Forbes  taught  one  year  in  La  Porte,   Indi- 
ana.    On    Christmas    day,    1873,    she    was  married  to  Prof.  S.  A. 
Forbes,  Director  of  the  Laboratory  of  Natural  History,  at  Normal. 
They  have  three  children,  two  girls  and  one  boy. 

187.  Anna  M.    Gladding    entered     the     Normal     School     in 
September,  1868,  from  McLean  County.      She  had  been  for   some 
time  a  student  in  the  model  school,  and  by  the  singular  sweetness  of 


92  HISTORY   OP   THE    If.UXOIS 

her  disposition,  and  by  her  patient  fidelity,  she  hud  won  the  esteem 
of  all  who  knew  her.  She  finished  the  course  in  1S72,  and  at  once 
began  her  work  as  teacher,  spending  the  first  year  in  Vienna,  Illinois. 
The  two  succeeding  years  she  taught  in  district  schools;  in  1*75  '"> 
she  did  not  teach,  but  resumed  her  work  the  succeeding  year,  teach- 
ing at  Galva.  Never  robust,  her  strength  was  insufficient  for  the 
wearing  life  of  a  teacher;  she  therefore  relinquished  her  position  and 
removed  to  Vineland,  New  Jersey.  Nothing  was  known  of  her 
ill-health  until  the  news  was  received  in  April  that  she  hud  pas:-<-d 
away. 

'188.  Eachel  Ilickey  taught  in  Ramsey  in  1872-3;  in  DeKuIb 
in  1873-4,  and  in  Bloomington  in  1874—5.  Since  September,  1875, 
she  has  been  teaching  in  the  grammar  grades  of  the  Indianapolis 
schools.  Her  address  is  48  Cherry  Street. 

189.  Sara   C.    Hunter  has    taught    in    the    Lakeview    schools 
constantly  since  her  graduation.     Her  address  is  Englewood,  Illinois. 

190.  Alza  (Karr)  Blount  taught  in  Atlanta,  Illinois,  1873-4,  and 
in  Forreston,  1874-6.     In  August,  1874,  she  was  married  to  George 
Blount,  of  the  same  class.     They  reside  in  Macomb. 

191.  Martha  G.  Knight,  from  September,   1872,  to  June,  1879, 
taught  constantly.     The  first  four  years  she  taught  part  of  the  time 
in  country  schools,  and  the  remainder  of  the  time  in  Henry,  and  in 
Bloomington.     From  September,  1876,  to  June,  1870,  she  taught  in 
the  Bloomington  city  schools.     She  did  not  teach  in   1^7'.»  -SO,  but  is 
now  principal  of  the  Clear  Creek  school,  in  Putnam  County. 

192.  Julia  F.  (Mason)  Parkinson  entered  the  model  school  when 
quite  young,  .her  parents  having  moved  to  Normal  to  educate  their 
children.     She  entered  the  Normal  Department  in  September,  isfj'j, 
and  graduated  with  the  class  of  1872.     The  year  after  her  graduation 
she  was  principal  of  the  Winchester  high  school.     The  succeeding 
year  she  was  first  assistant  in  the  Lincoln  high  school.     Iji  Septem 
ber,  1874,  she  took  charge  of  the  model  department  of  the  Southern 
Illinois   Normal   School,  where    she   remained    until    December  ys, 
1^7*1,  when  she  was  married  to  Prof.  D.  B.  Parkinson,  of  the  same 
institution.      For  some  years  her  health  had  riot  been  very  good,  and 
in  the  summer  of  1S76  her  husband  took  her  to  the  mountains  of  the 
west,  hoping,  at  least,  to  prolong  her  life.     At  first  she  seemed  bene- 
fited by  the  change,  but  she  soon  began  to  fail,  and  died  in  August, 

.  at  San  Jose,  California,  leaving  one  son. 

193.  P]rnma  A.  Monroe,  1872-3,  taught  in  Virgina,  Illinois,  and 
1 -"7:5-5  in  Bloomington.     From  June,  1875,  to  September,   Is 7s,  she 
did  not  teach.     In  September  of  the  last  named  year,  she  resumed 
her  work,  and  has  been  employed  constantly  in  the  Bloomington  city 
schools. 

104-.  Julia  (Moore)  Byorly  has  not  taught.     At  least,  no  report 
has  been   received. 


STATE   NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  S3 

105.  Mary  V.  Osburn,  1872-3,  taught  in  the  Lebanon  schools; 
1X7;'.  4  was  principal  in  the  primary  department  of  Elleardville 
school,  St.  Louis;  187-4-5  first  assistant  in  the  same  school;  1875-6 
rested;  1ST 7  S2  in  the  same  school.  In  March,,  1882,  she  was 
promoted  to  the  Everett  school. 

llH).  Flora  Pennell.     See  page  51. 

107.  Alice  B.  Phillips,  L872-5,  taught  in  the  Normal  public 
schools.  Sho  has  not  taught  since  June,  1870.  Her  address  is  88 
Fort  Greene  Place,  Brooklyn. 

10S.  Louisa  Ray  taught  in  St.  Soseph,  Missouri,  in  1872-4;  in 
1ST  I  8  she  was  head  assistant  in  the  Peoria  County  Normal  School. 
She  was  an  invalid  for  two  years.  Since  September,  1881,  she  has 
taught  in  Oakland  high  school. 

100.  Alpha  Stewart  taught  in  Stanford  in  1872-3;  in  Oak 
Grove  in  IS 73-5;  in  Mount  Hope  in  1875-6;  in  Oak  Grove  in 
1X7(5  7;  iu  Mount  Hope  in  1877-9;  in  Normal  in  1870-81.  She 
is  now  teaching  at  Atlanta. 

200.  Gertrude  (Town)  Beggs  was  assistant  in  the  Henry  schools 
in   1S72  3  ;  she  was  employed  in  the  Bloomington  city  schools  in 
1x7"  5;  she  was  assistant  in  the  Wilmington  high  school  in  1875-6. 
In    September,  1875,  she   was  married  to  Robert  II.   Beggs  of  the 
same  class.     They  reside  in  Denver,  Colorado,  where  she  is  teaching. 

201.  Edith  (^Ward)  Roache  taught  one  year  in  Elgin,   two   in 
Hyde  Park,  and  one  in  California.     She  was  married  in  1877.     Her 
home  is  in  Watson  Valley,  California. 

202.  Robert   11.  Heggs,    IS 72-5,  was  principal  of  the  Virginia, 
Illinois,  schools,   and    1875-80   of  the  Wilmington   schools.     Since 
September,  1880,  he  has  been  principal  of  a  ward  school  in  Denver, 
Colorado, 

203.  George    Blount,    1872-3,    was    principal  of  the  Adeline 
schools:    1873  7  of  the  Forreston  schools:    1X77-8  of  the  Lexington 
schools:  and  since  September,  1870,  has  had  charge-  of  the  Maeomb 
schools.      August,    1X7-4:,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Alza  Karr,  of  the 
same  class. 

204.  James  M.  Greeley  was  principal  of  the  Elmwood  schools 
1 872  3.       1X73-6   he   taught   winter    schools    aggregating    fourteen 
months.      His  health  tailing,  he  went   to    Kansas,  and   in   October, 
!S7s>.    he    was    elected    county  treasurer    of    Saline    County.     His 
address  is  Salina. 

20.V  Frank  W.  Hullingor  taught  two  years  in  Bloom,  Cook 
Oountv,  one  year  in  Granville,  and  one  year  in  Homewood.  He 
studied  in  Oberlin  College,  and  Chicago  Theological  Seminary,  and 
in  July,  1S70.  was  ordained  and  began  the  work  of  the  ministry,  lie 
was  pastor  of  a  church  in  Dundee.  Michigan,  for  two  years,  and  is 
now  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church,  in  Milton,  Rock  County, 
lie  was  married  in  December,  1873. 


M  HISTORY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

206.  Elisha  W.  Livingston  spent  1872-3  in  Beloit  College.      I  It- 
was  principal  of  the  schools  in  Caledonia  station  for  four  years.     His 
failing  health  obliged  him  to  resign.     Since  1879  he  has  taught  two 
terms,  and  is  now  farming. 

207.  Thomas  L.  McGrath  taught  one  year  in  Litdifield,  one  in 
Equality,  and  one  in  Butler.     He  is  now  city  attorney  in  Mattoon. 

208.  Samuel  W.  Paisley  was%born  in  Golconda,  Illinois,  in  1X4H. 
Orphaned  at  the  early  age  of  three  years,  lie  was  reared  by  an  uncle. 
His  early  life  was  devoted  to  manual  labor,  and  his  circumstances  were 
such  that  he  enjoyed   few   opportunities  for  educating  himself.     His 
ardent  nature  responded  to  the  call  for  volunteers,  and  although  very 
young,  he  entered  the  Union  army.       After  the  close  of  the  war.  lie 
attended  the  academy  at  Friendsville,  and  for  several  years  thereafter 
alternately  taught   and   attended  school,  striving,  with   characteristic 
energy,  to  fit  himself  for  his  chosen  profession.     In  September,  ISiiS 
he  entered  the  Illinois  Normal  School,  and  graduated  with  his  class  in 
1872.     During  his  life  as  a  student  he  won  the  high  esteem  and  confi- 
dence of  his  instructors  and  fellow-students.     He  enthusiastically  iden- 
tified himself  with  every  noble  enterprise.     No  student  ever  responded 
to  the  roll  call  of  his  alma  mater  who  lived  upon  a  higher  plane  than 
he.     Scrupulously  faithful  to  every  requirement,  brilliantly  successful 
in  his  studies,  loving  and  tender  in  his  nature,  he  was  fitted  as  few  men 
or  women  are,  to  perform  the  delicate  and  difficult  task  of  teaching  the 
young.     Immediately  after  graduation,  he  was  appointed  principal  of 
the  Watseka  schools,  having  been  united  in  marriage  in  August,  187i;. 
to  Miss  Helen  Clute,  of  Normal.     Into  his  work  he  threw  all  the  devo- 
tion and  enthusiasm  of  his  loyal  heart.     His  ambition  was  unsatisfied 
with  the  mere  teaching  of  text-book  facts,  and   he  aimed  to  impress 
upon  his  pupils  the  lessons  of  gentleness,  reverence  for  the  true  and 
beautiful,  and  obedience  to  the  highest  promptings  of  their  natures. 
His  success  was  abundant.     Like  every  true  teacher,  he  was  an  inde- 
fatigable student.       Upon  the  foundation  acquired  at  school,  he  was 
steadily  building  a  broad  and  liberal  education,  thus  fitting  himself  for 
whatever  position   might  await  him.      After  four  years  of  intensely 
active  work  at  Watseka,  he  took  charge  of  the  Lexington  schools. 
With  a  kind  of  fierce  energy  he  threw  heart  and  soul  into  the  duties  of 
his  new  position.     The  sequel  could  have  been  forecast  with  almost 
unerring  precision.      After  three  or  four  months  of  labor,  he  was  sud- 
denly prostrated  with  hemorrhage  of  the  lungs.     He  relinquished  his 
position  and  returned  to  Normal,  the  home  of  his  wife's  mother.    Here 
lie  slowly  rallied,  and  regained  so  much  of  his  original  strength  as  to 
take  charge  of  two  of  the  classes  in  the  Normal  School.     But  he  was 
unequal  to  the  task,  and  the  dreadful  hemorrhage  returned  about  the 
first  of  November.     Hoping  to  stay  the  progress  of  the  disease,  he 
went  to  the  mountain  region  about  Chattanooga,  Tennessee,  and  for  a 
time  seemed  to  gain  strength  in  the  bracing  atmosphere.      His  last  let- 


STATE    NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  85 

ter,  addressed  to  President  Ilewett,  was  full  of  hope  and  good  cheer; 
but  on  the  morning  of  February  4,  all  were  shocked  by  the  unexpected 
tidings  of  his  sudden  death.  His  funeral  took  place  at  Normal  on 
February  7,  and  was  attended  by  a  large  number  of  students  and 
friends.  His  remains  were  gently  laid  to  rest  under  the  trees  of  the 
sad  city  of  the  dead.  Thus  upon  the  threshold  of  a  noble  career,  with 
a  heart  full  of  hope  and  love  and  good  will  to  men,  with  his  eager  face 
aflame  with  high  aspiration  and  courage,  ho  halted,  and  laying  aside 
the  garb  of  the  toiler,  obeyed  the  summons  of  the  Master,  and 
"entered  into  rest." 

209.  Frank  E.  Ritchey  taught  two  years  in  Milwaukee  and  one 
in  Illinois.     He  commenced  the  practice  of  law   in    St.  Louis,  but 
received  such  flattering  propositions  to  relinquish  this  business  that 
he  left  St.  Louis  in  1879,  and  is  now  engaged  in  stock  business  in 
Ford  County.      His  address  is  Campus,  Illinois.     He  was  married 
in  1879. 

210.  Espy  L.  Smith  was  principal  of  the  Granville  schools  in 
1872-3;    of  the  Camp   Point  schools  in  1873- 1;    of  the    Wenona 
schools  in  1874-5  ;    of  the  Minonk  schools  in  1875-9.      He  spent  a 
year  on  a  farm  and   is   now   studying   medicine  in   a  Homeopathic 
College  in  Chicago. 

211.  John  II.  Stickney  was  principal  of  the  Altona  schools  from 
1872  to  1877,  five  years,  and  of  the  West  Side  schools  in  St.  Charles 
for  three  years.     In  September,  1880,  he  again  took  charge  of  the 
Altona  schools,  where  he  is  at  present. 

212  William  R.  Wallace  entered  from  McLean  County  in  April, 
1868,  and  graduated  with  the  class  of  1872.  The  succeeding  year  he 
was  principal  of  the  Piper  City  schools,  and  in  1872-3  he  held  a 
similar  position  in  Piukneyville.  His  health,  never  good,  warned 
him  to  leave  teaching,  so  he  went  into  the  drug  business,  first  in 
Bloomington,  and  subsequently  in  Heyworth.  His  health  grew 
gradually  worse,  however,  and  in  December,  1876,  he  died.  His 
parents  reside  near  Hudson. 

213.  James   M.    Wilson   was   principal    of    the    Bloomington, 
Indiana,  schools,  for  three  years.     In  September,  1875,  he  entered 
upon  his  duties  as  professor  of  mathematics  in  the  Indiana   State 
Normal  School,  at  Terre  Haute,  which  position  he  occupied   until 
June,  1881.     In  August,  1873,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sallie  Tom- 
linson,  an  undergraduate  of  the  Illinois  Normal. 

214.  Edwin  F.  Bacon  had  nearly  completed  his  studies  in  1865, 
when  he  left  school  and  went  to  New  York  City.     He  taught  there  in 
1865-6.     For  two  years,  1866-8,  he  had  charge  of  a  large  school  in 
Norwalk,  Connecticut.     In  the  fall  of  1868  he  entered  the  scientific 
department  of  Yale   College,  and   graduated   in    1871.     He   taught 
Latin  and  German,  in  Wilmington,  for  one  year.    In  1872  he  recc-ivcd 
his  diploma  from  this  Normal  School,  and  shortly  after  he  went  to 


86  HISTORY  OF  THE   ILLINOIS 

Germany  and  studied  and  taught  two  years.  In  1873  he  returned  to 
New  York,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  teaching  German,  in  which 
lie  has  become  very  successful.  His  address  is  box  296,  Jersey  City. 

215.  Charles  D.  Mariner  was  principal  of  the  Byron  schools  two 
years,  of  the  Marengo  schools  one  year,  of  the  Durand  schools  three 
years.     He  taught,  also,  a  country  school  one  year.     Since  June, 
1880,  he  has  taught  twelve  months  in  Winnebago  Township.     He 
was  married  in  1871.     His  address  is  Winnebago. 

216.  Chalmers  Rayburn  (H.  S.)  taught  in  Vienna,  Illinois,  two 
months,  in  Sperry,  Iowa,  four  months,  in  McLean  County  one  year, 
in  Hudson  two  years,  and  at  Money  Creek  two  years.     His  address 
is  Towanda. 

217.  Newton  B.  Reid  (H.  S.)  taught  two  years  at  St.  Paul  and 
Albion,  Illinois.     He  is  now  practicing  law  in  Bloomington,  Illinois. 


CLASS  OF  1873. 

218.  Lura  (Bullock)   Elliott,  during  the  spring  term   of   1874, 
taught  near  Tonica;   1874-5  was  principal  of  primary  department, 
Tonica;    1875-6   was    principal   of   Tonica    schools;     1877-8   was 
assistant  in  Macomb  high  school.     She  was  married  in  1879,  and  is 
now  living  on  a  farm  near  Tonica. 

219.  Mary  M.  Cox  taught  one  year  at  Belleville,  one  year  at 
Greenville,  California,  and  five  years  at  Watsonville,  twenty  miles 
from  Santa  Cruz.     In  the  summer  of  1881  she  went  to  Europe,  where 
she  is  still  studying.     Her  address  is  number   14  Wieser   Strasse, 
Hanover,  Germany. 

220.  Ellen  S.  Edwards  taught  one  year  at  Lexington,  five  months 
in  Rock  River  Seminary,  and  was  for  two  years  assistant  in  Normal 
School.     In   September,    1877,   she   entered  the   Boston   School  of 
Orators    and    completed    the    course    in     1879.     Her    address     is 
Princeton. " 

221  Ida.  L.  Foss  taught  six  months  at  Homer,  and  for  three 
years  was  assistant  in  Rossville  high  school.  Sirtce  September,  1877, 
she  has  had  charge  of  the  high  school  at  Rushville. 

222.  Mary  (Hawley)  Richardson  taught  six  months  in   Naples, 
one  year  in  Beardstown,  and  five  years  in  Milwaukee.     In  August, 
1880,  she  was  married  to  W.  H.  Richardson,  of  Milwaukee. 

223.  H.  Amelia  Kellogg,  after  graduation,  taught  constantly  in 
Chicago  until  November,  1881.     Her  health  failed,  and  she  went  to 
Texas.     She  is  at  San  Antonio.     Her  address  was  29  Oak  Avenue, 
Chicago. 

224.  L.  Effie  Peter,  immediately  after  graduation,  went  to  San 
Juan,  California,  and  taught  near  that  place  one  year.     1874-5  was 
teacher  in  the  grammar  school  in  Mason  City;  1876-7  assistant  in 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  87 

the  high-  school  at  same  place ;  1877-9  was  first  assistant  in  Lincoln 
high  school;  1880-1  taught  in  Lamed,  Kansas;  and  since,  has  been 
teaching  in  Cimarron,  Kansas. 

225.  Anna  V.  Sutherland  taught  the  Mt.  Prospect  school  two 
years,  taught  in  Bloomington  two  terms,  in  Heyworth  one  year,  and 
in  LeRoy  two  years.     Her  address  is  LeRoy. 

226.  Mary  I.  Thomas,  for  three  years  taught  at  Atlanta.     She 
has  not  taught  since. 

227.  Emma  (Warne)  Hall,   1873-4,   was  assistant  in  DeKalb; 
1874-5  was  principal  of  Blackberry  schools.     Her  health  failing,  she 
did  not  teach  again  until  January,  1877,  when  she  took  charge  of  a 
grammar  school  at  DeKalb.     She  was  married  in  1877  to  E.  Hall, 
superintendent  of  the  S.,  C.  &  0.  R.  R.     She  resides  at  Sycamore. 

228.  L.   P.   Brigham   was  principal   of  the   Tolono   schools   in 
1873-4  ;  of  the  Arcola  schools  1875-7.     He  then  studied  one  year  at 
Indianapolis.     In  1878-81  he  was  principal  of  Farmer  City  schools. 
He  was    married  in  1878.      In  1881-2  he  attended   Rush    Medical 
College. 

229.  Charles  DeGarmo.     See  page  50. 

230.  Jasper  T.  Hays  was  married  in  December,  1875.  In  1873^ 
he  taught  in  Whiteside  county  ;  in  1874-6  in  Lee  county  ;  in  1876-7 
in    Morrison    and    Delhi ;    1877-8  taught    four    mqnths  in  country 
school;  1879-81   taught  in   Kansas.      He   is    now    farming.      His 
address  is  Elivan,  Kansas. 

231.  E.  R.  E.  Kimbrough  taught  at  Golconda  in  1873-4,  and  is 
now  practicing  law  in  Danville.     In  1878  he  wrote :   "One  boy  eight 
months  old,  a  few  briefs,   and  a  Democratic  nomination  for  State 
Senate,    Thirty-First    district."     He    was     defeated     for     Senator, 
although  receiving  a  very   complimentary   vote,    his   district   being 
strongly  Republican. 

232.  George  W.  Lecrone  taught  three  months  at  Moccasin  and 
was  principal  of  East  Side  schools  at  Emngham  one  year.     He  then 
served  as  deputy  clerk  of  Effingham  County.     He  is  now  publishing 
a  paper  at  Emngham,  Illinois. 

233.  Walter  C.  Lockwood  married  Elizabeth  Peers  in  1874.    He 
was  three  years  in  the  hardware  business  in  Ottawa,  two  years  on  a 
farm   near   Rankin,  taught  one  winter  near   Rankin,  and  went  to 
Kansas   in   1879,  where   he  is  engaged  in  the  hardware  business. 
His   address  is  Marion  Center.     He  paid  his  tuition  in  full,  after 
graduation. 

234.  DeWitt  C.   Roberts  married  Miss  Fannie   Pace  in  July, 
1875.     He  was  principal  of  Beardstown  schools  1873-6,  professor  of 
mathematics  at  Cape  Girardeau  Normal  School  1876-80,  and  is  now 
principal  of  Broadway  school,  Denver,  Colorado. 

235.  Arthur  Shores   taught   six    months    in    Minnesota,    three 
months  in  Glencoe,  in  that  State,  nine  months  in  Taylor's  Falls,  and 


88  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

six  months  in  district  school  in  Tazewell  County.  He  is  now  practicing 
law  in  Minneapolis,  Minnesota,  921  Eighth  Avenue. 

236.  John   B.    Stoutemyer   continued    studies    two  years.     lie 
taught  one  month  at  Covel,  and  two  months  near  Bloomington.     He 
is  now  farming  two  miles  west  of  Bloomington. 

237.  Felix  B.  Tait  taught  one  year  at  Woodstock  Seminary,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  June,  1876.     He  is  practicing  in  Decatur, 
Illinois. 

238.  J.   Lawson   Wright,    1873-6,    was    principal    of     Adeline 
schools;  1876-80  of  Forreston  schools;  1880-1  of  Savanna  schools; 
1881-2  of  Cedarville  schools. 

239.  M.   Louise  Abraham   (II.  S.)  has  taught  constantly  since 
graduation.     1873-5  in  Spencer,    Indiana;    1875-7  in  Illinois,  near 
Oilman;  1877-8  in  Spencer;  and  since  September,  1878,  in  Edinburg, 
Indiana. 

240.  Edmund  J.  James.     See  page  49. 

241.  J.  Dickey  Templeton  (H.  S.)  worked  in  the  State  museum 
for  a  few  months.     Since  1875  he  has  been  employed  in  a  bank  in 
Bloomington. 

CLASS  OF  1874. 

242.  Emily  Alden  taught  in  Loda  in  1874-5.     In  1875-6  she  was 
principal  of  schools  in  Princeville.     She  did  not  teach  in  1876-7.      In 
1877-8  she  taught  in  Kent,  Iowa,  and  since  1878  she  has  taught  in 
Afton  in  the  same  State. 

243.  Lida  (Brown)  McMurry  taught  in  Sublette  in  1874-6;   in  Ar- 
cola  in  1876-7;    in  Clear  Creek  in  1877-8;  and  two  months  in  Decatur 
in  1878-9.     In  the  summer  of  1878  she  was  married  to  Win.  P.  Mc- 
Murry, of  the  same  class.     Their  home  is  in  Normal. 

244.  Eunice  Corwine  taught  in  the  country  near  Lincoln  in  1874-8. 
Since  1878  she  has  been  teaching  in  the  Lincoln  schools. 

245.  S.  Alice  Judd  has  been  employed  constantly  as  assistant  in 
the  Decatur  high  school  since  her  graduation. 

246.  Sarah  M.  Littlefield  was   principal  of  the   Rushville   high 
school  in  1874-5;    she  taught  in  the  Beardstown  schools  in  1875-6; 
she  was  again  principal  of  the  liushville  high  school  in  1876-7,  and  in 
is 7 7-8  she  again  taught  in  the  Beardstown  schools;    she  taught  in  the 
(ialva  schools  in  1878-9,  since  which  time  she  has  not  taught.     Her 
address  is  Beardstown. 

247.  Mary   (McWilliams)   Burford  taught  in   Logan   County   in 
1874-5,  and  in  Farmer  City  in  1875-6  and  1877-8.     She  did  not  teach 
in  1876-7  on  account  of  poor  health.      In  September,  1879,  she  was 
married  to  Will  F.  Burford,  of  Farmer  City,  where  they  now  reside. 

248.  M.  Ella  Morgan  has  taught  continuously  since  graduation,  in 
Washington,  D.  C.     Her  address  is  1114  Tenth  Street. 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  Mt 

249.  Elizabeth  (Poors)  Lockwood  has  not  taught.     In  September 
following  her  graduation  she  was  married  to  Walter  C.  Lockwood,  of 
the  class  of    1873.      She  discharged  her  obligation  by  paying  her 
tuition  in  full.     Her  home  is  in  Marion  Centre,  Kansas. 

250.  Emma  Y.  (Stewart)  Brown  entered  school  in  September, 
1870.     One  year  was  spent  in  teaching  during  the  course,  so  that  she 
did  not  graduate  until  June,  1874.     She  taught  in  Rochelle  in  1874-5 ;  ' 
in  Peru,  Indiana,  1875-6,  and  1876-8  in   Wichita,  Kansas.     August 
9,  1S6S,  she  was  married  to  I.  Eddy  Brown,  of  the  same  class,  and 
removed  to  Decatur,  where  Mr.  Brown  was  employed  as  principal  of 
the  high  school.     Her  wedded  life  was  brief.     August  1,1880,  a  little 
less  than  two  years  from  the  time  of  her  marriage,  she  died  of  puer- 
peral fever.     She  left  a  babe,  but  it  survived  her  only  a  few  weeks. 
The  closing  days  of  her  life  were  singularly  beautiful.     Conscious  of 
approaching  death,  she  arranged  all  of  her  affairs  with  the  serenity 
and  fortitude  of  the  hero  of  a  hundred  fields.     Loving  life  as  only 
the  young  blessed  with  all  that  is  beautiful  can  love  it,  she  submitted 
to  the  inevitable  with  calm  composure,  and  even  greeted  it  with  a 
happy  smile. 

251.  Maggie  (Woodruff)  Evans,   1874-6,   taught  in  Savannah, 
Illinois.     In  1876  she  was  married  to  William  A.  Evans,  of  the  same 
class.     Her  address  is  Leavenworth,  Kansas. 

252.  I.  Eddy  Brown  immediately  after  graduation  was  elected 
principal   of    the  Decatur  high  school.      He  retained    this  position 
until  June,  1880,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  the  State  Secretaryship 
of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.     In  August,  1878,  he  was  married  to  Emma  Y. 
Stewart,  a  sketch  of  whom  is  given  above. 

253.  Francis  W.  Conrad,   the  first  year  after  graduation  taught 
in  the  Maine  State  Normal  School.      Warned  by  failing  health,  in  the 
summer  of  1875  he  went  to  California,  where  he  has  been  teaching 
constantly  since.     In  September,  1877,'he  was  elected  principal  of  the 
Montocito  schools,  Santa  Barbara,  which  position  he  still  retains. 

254.  John  N.  Dewell,  1874-5,  was  principal  of  the  Barry  schools; 
1S75-S    of    the    Litchh'eld    schools,   and    1878-81   of   the   Hillsboro 
schools.     His  present  address  is  Bloomington,  where  he  is  in  the 
insurance  and  real  estate  business. 

255.  David  S.  Elliott,  1874-5,  was  principal  of  the  Cuseyville 
schools.     In  1875  he  joined  the  Methodist  Conference  and  preached 
for  a  while,  teaching,  in  the  meantime,  four  months  in   Mackinaw, 
three  months  in   Groveland,   and    two   months  in   a   private  school. 
1878-9   he   was   assistant   in   the   Centralia   schools.     1879-81    was 
principal  of  the  same  schools.     He  is  now  principal  of  the  Bunsen 
school,  Belleville,  Illinois. 

J256.  William  A.  Evans,  since  graduation,  lias  taught  two  years 
in  Illinois,  and  four  in  Kansas.  At  present  he  is  teacher  of  history 
and  natural  science  in  the  Leavenworth  high  schooL 


90  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

257.  Thomas  E.  Jones,  1874-6,  taught  in  Troy,  Kansas;  1876-8 
he  was  principal  of  the  Mt.  Pleasant,  Missouri,  schools ;  1878-9  he 
had  charge  of  the  Hillsdale,  Kansas,  schools ;  1879-80  he  spent  as  a 
traveling  salesman,  1880-1  he  was  again  principal  of   the  Hillsdale 
schools,  where  he  is  at  present. 

258.  William  P.  McMurry  has  not  taught.     He  studied  law,  was 
admitted,  spent  a  few  months  in  Texas,  and  then  returned  to  Normal. 
He  is  now  employed  in  the  office  of  the  Phoenix  nursery,  Bloomington. 

259.  Elinzer  H.  Prindle,  1874-6,  taught  in  Centreville.     1876-8 
he  was  principal  of  the  White  Hall  schools.     In  the  summer  of  1878 
he  removed  to  Kansas,  and  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising.    In 
November,  1879,  he  was  elected  county  clerk  of  Hodgeman  County. 
He  is  now  teaching  in  Larned,  Kansas. 

260.  Carlton   H.   Hew,   1874-7,   was   principal   of  the   Pontiac 
schools,  and  1877-9  of  the  Fairbury  schools.     1779-80  was  spent  in 
study.     Since  September,  1880,  he  has  had  charge  of  the  Wilmington 
schools.     In  1878  he  was  married  to  Miss  Ada  Casley,  an  undergrad- 
uate of  the  Normal  School. 

261.  William  J.  Simpson  has  taught  six  years  since  graduation, 
most  of   the   time   in  country   schools.      He  is  now   farming   near 
Sigel.     Mr.  Simpson  has  been  married  twice.     His  first  wife,  whom 
Normalites  of  1873  will  remember  as  Alice  Buchanan,  died  in  1877. 
He  was  married  again  in  1880. 

262.  Harry  A.  Smith,  1874-5,  was  principal  of  the  Lena  schools, 
and   1875-8  of  the   Kock  Falls   schools.     In    1878  he  entered   the 
ministry,  and  is  now  in  charge  of  the  Baptist  Church,  in  Tampico. 

263.  Jasper  N.  Wilkinson,  1874-9,  was  principal  of  the  Buda 
schools.     1879-80  he  was  principal  of  one  of  the  ward  schools  in 
Peoria.       Since   September,    1880,    lie'   has    been   principal   of    the 
Decatur  high  school.     He  was  married  in  Buda,  in  1879. 

264.  Adele  (Cook)  Sample  was  married  to  A.  Sample  in  Septem- 
ber, 1875.     Her  address  is  Paxton,  Illinois. 


CLASS  OF  1875. 

265.  Margarita  McCullough,  1875-6  taught  in  Edinburg,  Indiana. 
She  has  since  taught  at  South  Evanston,  having  lost  but  one  day  since 
graduation. 

266.  Josephine  Mcllugh,  1875-7,  except  spring  term,  was  assist- 
ant in  the  Galena  high  school.    The  spring  term  of  1877  she  taught  in 
Omaha;    1877-80    in  Warren;    1880-1   in    Shellsburg;    1881-2    in 
Dwight.     She  is  now  teaching  in  Bloomington. 

267.  Florence  Ohr,  with  the  exception  of  the  spring  term  of  1881, 
when  she  attended  the  Normal,  has  taught  constantly  in  the  Soldiers' 
Orphans'  Home  since  graduation. 


STATE    NOBMAL    UNIVERSITY.  91 

268.  Henrietta  Watkins  taught  a  short  time — a  few  weeks — in 
Decatur.     She  is  now  at  home  in  Normal. 

269.  Mary  A.  "Watkins  has  not  taught.     Her  address  is  Normal. 

270.  David  Ayers,  1875-6,  taught  a  district  school  near  Sweet- 
water;  1876-7  taught  near  Elkhart;    1877-81  was  in  charge  of  the 
Sweetwater  schools.     He  married  Miss  Anna  Martin  in  November, 
1  vsi.     He   is  now  in   business.     His   address  is   734   Forty-Third 
Street,  Chicago. 

*  271.  Robert  L.  Barton,  1875-7,  was  principal  of  Mound  City 
schools ;  1877-8  he  taught  four  months  at  Farmer  City ;  1878-81  at 
Rossville.  He  has  since  been  superintendent  of  the  Galena  schools. 

272.  Albert  D.  Beckhart,  1875-7,  taught  in  Cerro  Gordo ;  1877-8 
in  Buffalo,  Sangamon  County.     He  was  married  in  December,  1876, 
to  Miss  Jennie  II.  Baker.     In  1877  he  joined  the  Illinois  Annual 
Conference,  and  is  now  preaching.     He  is  located  at  Nilwood. 

273.  Lewis  O.  Bryan,  1875-6,  taught  in  Salem;  1876-9  in  Van 
Buren,  Arkansas.     He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  February,  1880, 
and  is  now  practicing  at  Van  Buren,  Arkansas. 

274.  W.  T.  Crow  Iras  not  taught.     He  is  postmaster  at  Cotton 
Hill,  and  proprietor  of  Sugar  Creek  mills. 

275.  James  Ellis  was  principal  of  Winnebago  schools,  1875-6; 
1876-7  he  taught  four  months  in  Boone  County;  1877-80  was  again 
principal  of   Winnebago  schools.     Since   September,    1880,   he  has 
been  principal  of  the  high  schools  at  Sharon,  Wisconsin. 

276.  Judd  M.  Fiske  taught  one  year,    1875-6,   at  Arrnington, 
Illinois,  and  two  years  at  Naples.       He  married  Miss    Harriet  A. 
Hunter.      For  two  years  he  taught  in  district  schools.      1880-1  he 
taught  at  Ridott,  and  is  now  teaching  there. 

277.  Justin  L.  Hartwell  was  principal  of  the  Dixon   schools  in 
1S75-7;    1877-8    ran  a    business  college    at  Dixon;    1878-80   was 
principal  of  Odell  school.     He  has  since  been  principal  of  Barry, 
Illinois,  schools.     He  was  married  in  1873. 

278.  Josiah  P.  Hodge  taught  six  months.     His  business  is  law 
and  real  estate.     Address,  Golconda,  Illinois. 

i;79.  U.  Clay  McIIugh  was  born  in  Monroe  County,  Ohio,  July 
16,  1850.  lie  entered  school  from  McLean  County,  January,  1872, 
and  graduated  in  June,  1875.  In  1875-6  he  taught  in  Pleasant 
Hill.  During  the  summer  of  1876  he  entered  Rush  Medical  College, 
Chicago,  and  remained  there  until  March,  1877,  when  he  returned  to 
his  home  in  Lexington,  and  taught  a  further  term  of  three  months, 
continuing  his  medical  studies  meanwhile.  In  the  summer  of  1877 
he  returned  to  Rush,  and  graduated  in  February,  1878.  He  returned 
to  his  home,  but  was  stricken  down  by  sudden  illness,  and  died  July 
11,  1878. 

280.  W.  S.  Mills,  1875-6,  was  principal  of  the  grammar  depart- 
ment of  the  model  school;  1876-80  of  a  ward  school  at  Joliet.  In 


HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 


May,    1882,   he  graduated  from  the  law  department   of    Columbia 
College.     His  address  is  73  Pine  Apple  Street,  Brooklyn. 

281.  James  N.  Mosher,   1875-6,  taught  near  Odcll;  1876-7  he 
had   charge  of  the  Watson,  Missouri,  schools;    1877-8  of  the  Van 
Buren,  Arkansas,  schools;  1878-9  he  did  not  teach;  1879-80  of  the 
Watson  schools.     Since  September,  1880,  he  has  been  principal  of 
the  Edwardsville  schools,  Kansas. 

282.  John  L.    Shearer  taught  at  Rockport  in   1875-6  ;  taught  a 
country  school  near  St.  Louis  in  1876-7  ;  a  country  school  in  Henry- 
County  in  1877-8  ;  was  principal  of  the  White  Hall  schools  in  1878-9. 
He  has  since  been  principal  of  Napa  City  schools. 

283.  Benjamin  F.  Stocks  was  married  in  1875.     In  1875-6  he 
was    principal    of  Bethallo   schools  ;  1876-7  of  Fail-mount  schools  ; 
1877-9  of  Sullivan  schools;  1879-80  of  La  Moille  schools;  l.SW-a 
of  Cerro  Gordo  schools. 

284.  Ann  S.  Wheaton  (II.  S.),  after  graduating,  went  to  Montreal 
to  study  French.     She  returned  to  Normal  in  1876  and  continued  her 
studies  one  year,  when  she  went  to  Yreka,  California.     After  teach  ing 
a  private  school  for  a  short  time,  she  became  a  teacher  in  the  public 
schools.     She  purchased  a  home  in  1880. 

285.  Nicholas  T.  Edwards  (II.  S.)  graduated  at  Knox  in  is 79, 
and  taught  in  Dover  one  year.     lie  studied  Theology  in  the  Chicago 
Theological  Seminary  and  is  now  preaching.     lie  may  be  reached  by 
addressing  Princeton,  Illinois. 

286.  Frank  W.  Gove  (II.  S.)  graduated  at  Dartmouth  in  1878. 
For  six  months  he  was  professor  of  mathematics  in  Colorado  State 
University.     He  is  now  surveying  in  the  mountains  of  Colorado.     1 1  e 
was  married  in  July  to  Miss  Ida  Cook.     His  address  is  Rico,  Colorado. 

287.  Einrich  B.  Hewitt  (II.  S.)  entered  the  high  school  in  1871, 
from  Forreston,  Illinois,  and  graduated  with  his  class  in    1875.      He 
entered  Harvard  University  in  September,   1875,   and  remained  one 
year,  when  failing  health  obliged  him  to  give  up  his  college  work  and 
endeavor  to  regain  his  strength.      He  remained  at  his  home,  in   Five- 
port;,   for   a   few    months,  but   failing   to    receive    any    benefits  from 
medical  attendance,   he   went   to    Colorado.,  hoping  that  a  change;  of 
climate  might  prove  beneficial.      lie  gradually  declined,  however,   and 
finally  died  in    March,    1879.      Universally    esteemed,    ambitious    to 
excel  as  a  scholar,   and  surrounded  with  all  that  tends  to  make    life 
desirable,  his  early  death  was  peculiarly  sad. 


CLASS  OF  1S7<>. 

288.   Mary  L.  Bass,  since  graduation,  has  been  teaching  in  Oak- 
land school.      Her  address  is  3655  Vincennes  Avenue,  Chicago. 

Louisa  C.  Larrick,  in  the  fall   of  1876,  taught  at  Gibson  ; 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  93 

S  !»    at   Middletown,  Virginia.     She  has  since  been  teaching  at 
Pontinc,  Illinois. 

290.  Amanda  M.  Pusey,  1876-80,  taught  in  Champaign ;  1880-1 
she  taught  in   Ottawa,  Kansas.      She  has  since  taught  at  Neosho, 
.Missouri.  * 

291.  George   II.    Beatty  taught   six   months   near   Clinton,   six 
months  in  Midland  City,  six  months  near  Clinton.     1879-81  he  was 
principal  of  the  Hey  worth  schools.     He  is  now  at  Maroa. 

292.  Daniel  S.   Buterbaugh,  1876-7,  taught  at  Money  Creek; 
1*77-9  at  Camargo  and  Pesotum;  1879-80  near  Clinton.    Since  1880 
he  has  been  principal  of  the  Danvers  schools. 

293.  William  II.  Chamberlain,  1876-9,  taught  at  Kidge  Farm, 
Illinois;    1879-80  he  studied  at  Normal;    1880-1  at  Eidge  Farm. 
Since  1881  he  has  been  principal  of  the  Rossville  schools. 

294.  Asbury  M.  Crawford,  1876-7,  taught  in  Mechanicsville ;  in 
ls77-8  he  studied  law  in  Bloomington.     He  then  went  west,  and  is 
now  in  the  nursery  business  at  Helena,  Montana. 

295.  George   "W.    Dinsmore   taught    one    year  in    Shelbyville, 
Tennessee,  and  one  year  in  Illinois.     His  health  would  not  permit  of 
further  teaching.     He   went  west,    settling  at   Lyons,  Kansas,  and 
engaging  in  the  hardware  business.     lie  married  Carrie  Wallace,  in 
Houston,  Texas. 

296.  Lewis   C.   Dougherty,    1876-8,  taught   at   Lacon;   1878-9 
taught  four  months  in  Rising,  Neb.     Since  September,  1879,  he  has 
been  principal  of  the  Minonk  schools. 

297.  J.    Calvin    Hanna,    taught    one    year    in    Toulon,    three 
months  near  Monica,  Peoria  County,  two  months  in  Wooster,  Ohio. 
He  graduated  from  Wooster  College  in  June,  1881,  and  has  since 
been  teaching  in  the  Columbus,  Ohio,  high  school. 

298.  Benjamin  S.  Hedges  was  born  in  Virginia,  in  1852.     He 
entered  the  Normal  School  in  September,  1873,  and  graduated  with 
the  class  of  1876.     He  secured  a  State  certificate  about  the  time  of 
his  graduation.     Shortly  after  graduation,  he  was  appointed  principal 
of  the  Rochelle  high  school.     A  part  of  the  summer  of  1S76  was  spent 
at  the  Centennial  Exposition.     He  returned  to  his  home  in  the  early 
fall,  expecting  to  begin  his  work,  but  contracted  typhoid  fever  in  the 
home  of  a  friend,  who  died  of  the  same  disease,  and  passed  away 
October  1,   1876,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years,  five  monthsarnd 
twenty-seven  days.     He  was  a  young  man  of  high  character  and  g  eat 
promise. 

299.  Charles  L.  Howard,  1876-7,  was  principal  of  the  Farming- 
ton  schools;  1877-8  was  agent  for  Johnson's  Cyclopedia;  1878-9  was 
principal  of  the  Centralia  schools;  1879-81  of  the  Shelbyville  schools. 
He  is  now  principal  of  the  Madison  school,  St.  Louis. 

:'.IM).  John  T.  Johnson,  1876-8,  was  principal  of  the  Millersburg 
school ;  in  1879  he  taught  a  few  months  near  Bloomington.     lie  then 

7 


94  HISTORY   OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

went  into  the  hedge  business.  In  1880-1  taught  eight  months  in 
New  Boston.  Since  September,  1881,  he  has  been  principal  of  the 
fifth  ward  school,  Peoria. 

301.  Claudius  B.  Kinyon  has  not  taught.      Graduating  from  a 
medical  college  in  1878,  he  has  since  been  practicing  in  Rock  Island. 

302.  Joseph  F.  Lyon,    1876-7,    taught   in    Kansas;    1877-8  in 
Cumberland  County;  1878-9  traveled  and  studied;  1879-80  taught  in 
Altamont.    Since  September,  1880,  he  has  been  principal  of  the  Odell 
school. 

303.  Truman  B.  Mosher  taught  seven  months  in  a  country  school 
in  Livingston  County;  1877-8  taught  at  Sullivan  Center;  1878-9  at 
Grouse,  Kane  County;  1879-80  in  Livingston  County.      Since  Sep- 
tember, 1880,  he  has  been  teaching  in  Cherryvale,  Kansas. 

^304.  DeWitt  C.  Tyler  taught  two  years  at  New  Boston,  and  one 
year  at  Millersburg.     lie  now  practices  medicine  in  Clifton,  Kansas. 

305.  Leroy  B.  Wood  is  secretary  and  treasurer   of  the   Piano 
Manufacturing  Company,  Piano,  Illinois. 

306.  Arabella  D.  Loer  (H.  S.)  is  in  Mexico,  Missouri. 

307.  Charles  A.  McMurry  (H.  S.),  1876-7,  continued  his  studies 
at  Ann  Arbor;  1877-8  taught  at  Armington ;  1878-9  at  Clear  Creek; 
1879-80  at  Clifton  for  five  months,  returning  to  Ann  Arbor  in  the 
spring;  1880-81  taught  at  Littleton,  California;  1881-2  in  Denver, 
Colorado.     lie  is  now  in  the  University  of  Halle,  Germany,  making 
a  specialty  of  political  economy. 


CLASS  OF  1877. 

308.  Mary  A.  Anderson  has  taught  in  the  Bloomington  high 
school  since  graduation.     Her  address  is  605  West  Front  Street. 

309.  Agnes  E.    Ball,   1877-8,   taught  near  Girard ;   lS7-s--so  in 
Girard;  1880-1  in  Virden;  1881-2  in  a  district  school  near  Girard, 
Montgomery  County. 

310.  Emma  E.  Corbett  has  been  teaching  at  Milwaukee   con- 
stantly since  graduation. 

311.  Nettie  (Cox)  Smith,  1878-9,  taught  in  Hudson ;  1879-81  in 
a  district  school  near  Hudson.     She  was  married  in  1881. 

312.  Adeline  M.   Goodrich,  is  traveling  in  the  interest  of  the 
Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union.     Her  address  is  Freeport, 
Illinois. 

313  Anna  L.  Martin,  1878-9,  taught  near  Washburn;  1879-81 
in  the  Normal  public  schools.  She  was  married  in  the  fall  of  1881, 
to  David  Ayers.  Her  address  is  734  Forty-Third  Street,  Chicago. 

314.  Selina  M.  Regan  taught  a  district  school  three  months; 
1878-9  she  taught  the  same  school  six  and  one-half  months.  Since 
January,  1880,  she  has  taught  in  Morris,  Illinois. 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  95 

315.  Laura  A.  Yarner,  1877-9,  taught  in  country  schools  near 
Freeburg.     1879-80   she   taught  in   Marissa.     She   has   since   been 
principal  of  the  Marissa  schools. 

316.  Wilraas  (Varner)  Metzger,  1877-8,  taught  four  months  in 
Marion  County.     In  April,  1878,  she  moved  to  California,  and  taught 
constantly  until  her  marriage  to  J.  E.  Metzger,  in  November,  1880. 
Her  address  is  Healdsburg,  California. 

317.  Emily  Wing  spent  two  years  at  Wellesley  College,  taught 
one  year  in  Collinsville,  and  one  year  in  the  Female  Academy,  at 
Jacksonville.     Her  address  is  Collinsville. 

318.  Levi   D.    Berkstresser  is   employed   in   banking   and   the 
clothing  trade.     His  address  is  Buda,  Illinois. 

319.  W.  Irving  Berkstresser,  1877-8,  taught  in  Bryant's  Com- 
mercial College,  Chicago.     He  is  now  preaching  in  Decatur. 

320.  Richard  G.  Bevan  taught,   1877-8,  in  a  district   school  six 
months;  1878-9  in  the  same  school  six  months,  and  1881-2  he  taught 
six  months  near  Atlanta.  „ 

321.  Edward  R.  Faulkner  has  been  principal  of  the  Frankfort, 
Kansas,  schools,  since  graduation. 

322.  Hiram  R.  Fowler  has  taught  in  Cave-in-Rock   constantly 
since  graduation. 

323.  Frank  B.  Harcourt  taught  part  of  1877-8  in  Logan  County. 
In  1878  he  returned  to  Normal  and  finished  the  high  school  course. 
His  address  is  Chestnut,  Illinois. 

324.  George  L.  Hoffman  was  married  in  1879  and  is  practicing 
law  at  Mt.  Sterling,  Illinois. 

325.  Albert  Swan  taught  in  Toulon  in  1877-8  ;  in  N.  Wyoming 
in  1878-80  ;  in  Castleton,  Illinois,  in  1880-2. 

326.  Levi  Spencer  taught  during  the  summer  term  of  1878,  and 
winter  term  of  1878-9,  in  Piatt  County;  summer  term  of  1879  in 
Macon  County  ;  then  two  terms  Piatt  County.     He  has  since  taught 
at  Oronogo,  Missouri. 

327.  Edward  R.    Levett  is    practicing    law    in    Chicago.     His 
address  is  132  LaSalle  Street. 

328.  Sarah  (Coolidge)  White  (H.  S.)  was  married  in  the  fall  of 
1879.     Her  address  is  Springfield. 

329.  Jennette  Kingsley's  (H.  S.)  parents  moved  to  Normal  when 
she  was  a  little  child.     She  entered  the  lowest  department,  and  com- 
pleted the  course,  graduating  from  high  school  with  the  class  of  1877. 
After  a  few  months  of  rest,  she  became  a  teacher  in  the  Normal  public 
school,   and  remained  there  until  June,  1879.     Very    soon  after  the 
close  of  school  she  went  to  Denver,  in  order  to  be  present  at  the  com- 
petitive  examination  of  teachers  in  that  city.     Brilliantly  successful, 
she  received  an  appointment,  and  in  September  commenced  her  work 
She    had    been  in  the  school  room  but  a  few  weeks  when  she  was 
stricken  down  with  the  dreadful  typhus  fever,  and  survived  but  a  few 


96  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

days.  Her  body  was  brought  back  to  her  old  home,  and  laid  to  rest 
in  the  cemetery  at  Bloomington.  Miss  Kingsley  was  one  of  those  to 
whom  nature  had  been  peculiarly  generous.  Possessing  an  unusually 
sunny  disposition,  superior  intellectual  attainments,  rare  personal 
beauty,  and  the  rarer  gift  of  a  devout  and  loving  heart,  she  won  the 
respect  and  affectionate  regard  of  all  with  whom  she  came  in  contact. 

330.  Sabina  F.  Mills  (H.  S.)  taught  nine  months  in  Granville,  and 
three  months  near  Mt.  Palatine.     Since  June,  1879,  she  has  taught  in 
El  Dorado,  Kansas. 

331.  Laura  Sudduth  (II.    S.)  is  at  Wellesley   College,    and    will 
graduate  in  1883.     Her  address  is  Normal. 

332.  Fremont  C.  Blandin  (II.  S.)  was  at  Ann  Arbor  in  1877-9. 
He  since  graduated  from  the  Wesleyan  law  school.       His  address  is 
Rutland,  Illinois. 

333.  George  A.  Franklin  (H.  S.)  taught  in  Butler  in  1877-9;  was 
for  some  time  foreman  of  a  printing  office  in  liockford;  is  now  run- 
ning a  cattle  ranch  at  Forest  City,  Iowa. 

334.  Theodore  T.  Hewitt  (II.  S.)  is  in  a  bank  at  Freeport,  Illinois. 


CLASS  OF  1878. 

335.  Mary   M.    Baird,    1878-9,    taught   at   Naples.     Ill   health 
compelled  her  to  rest  until  1880,  since  which  time  she  has  taught  at 
Mendota,  Illinois. 

336.  Evangeline  (Candy)  Mitchell  taught  at  Chestnut,  Illinois, 
one  year.     Her  present  address  is  Arcola,  Illinois. 

337.  Jessie  (Dexter)  Benton  taught  one  year  at  Lexington.     She 
was  married  in  the  summer  of  1879. 

338.  Eugenia  Faulkner  taught  in  the  Frankfort,  Kansas,  high 
school  two  years,  and  has  since  taught  at  Marysville,  Kansas. 

339.  Flora  M.  Fuller,  1878-9,  taught  in   the   Carrollton    high 
schools.      She  is  now  teaching  in  the  Millersburg  schools. 

340.  Sarah  C.   Martin,  1879-80,  taught  at  Washburn,  and   in 
1881-2  in  the  same  place. 

341.  Ida  (Philbrick)  Gaston  taught  three  months  in  Bailey ville. 
She  married  Frank  Gaston,  of  Normal,  in  December,  1879. 

342.  Frances  Preston   entered   the   Normal    School   from    Lee 
County,  in  September,  1874,  and  graduated  in  1878,  taking  the  full 
Latin  and  Greek  course.     The  year  1878-9  she  taught  in  Centralia. 
In  September,  1880,  she  commenced  work  in  the  Mendota  schools, 
west  side,  and  remained  there  until  the  following  spring,  when  failing 
health   compelled  her   to   resign.       She   returned  to   her   home   in 
Amboy,  but   she  rapidly  declined,  and  died  May  3.     She  had  an 
intense  desire   to   acquire   knowledge,  and  doubtless   hastened    her 
death  by  over-study  and  severe  exertion  as  a  teacher.     She  possessed 


STATE   NOEMAL   UNIVERSITY.  97 

an  unusual  amount  of  individuality  and  originality,  and  by  her  careful 
preparation  was  especially  fitted  to  occupy  a  conspicuous  position. 
Her  ample  success  as  a  teacher  indicated  that  if  her  life  had  been 
spared  she  would  not  have  disappointed  the  high  hopes  of  her  many 
friends. 

343.  Florence  Richardson  entered  school  in  September,  1875, 
and  graduated  with  her  class  in  1878.  Immediately  after  graduation 
she  became  an  assistant  in  the  schools  of  Millersburg,  Mercer 
County,  where  she  remairied  one  year.  In  September,  1879,  she 
entered  the  Bloomington  corps,  where  she  remained  until  her  death. 
The  following  sketch  is  taken  from  the  Bloomington  Pantagraph,  for 
which  it  was  prepared  by  Rev.  J.  W.  Dinsmore: 

"  A  very  great  company  attended  the  funeral  of  the  above-named  young  lady,  at 
the  Second  Presbyterian  church,  yesterday  afternoon.  It  is  creditable  to  human  nature 
that  so  great  public  interest  should  be  shown  in  a  simple  school  teacher.  Many  a 
millionaire  has  been  carried  to  his  grave  without  a  tithe  of  the  respect  and  sympathy 
that  were  shown  yesterday  for  the  memory  of  this  modest  girl.  *  *  *  *  From 
our  public  schools  she  entered  the  Normal  University,  and  having  made  a  very  success- 
ful course,  she  graduated  in  1878.  Having  become  a  teacher  in  our  city  schools,  she 
rapidly  advanced  until  she  became  mistress  of  the  highest  room  in  No.  1.  and  some 


months  ago  was  promoted  to  be  principal  of  No.  3.    To  this  creditable  distinction  she 

by  the  strong  hands  of  i 
real  merit  and  industry.     She  was  thoroughly  devoted  to  her  calling;  talented,  diligent, 


was  borne,  not  by  the  strong  hands  of  influential  friends,  but  by  the  simple  force  of 


painstaking,  and  full  of  a  sustained  enthusiasm.  She  gave  much  promise  of  a  bril- 
liant career  in  her  chosen  work.  She  was  a  faithful  member  of  the  Second  Presbyterian 
church,  being  a  pupil,  and  lately  a  teacher,  in  the  Sunday  school,  much  admired  and 
respected  by  her  pastor,  and  by  all  who  have  knowledge  of  her  ways  of  life.  Her 
loving  and  sacrificing  devotion  to  her  foster  parents  was  beautiful  and  noble.  No  less 
was  she  devoted  to  the  mother  that  bore  her,  although  necessarily  living  mostly  at 
a  long  distance  from  her.  She  was  called  away  suddenly,  just  as  promise  was  budding 
into  fulfillment,  as  hope  was  waxing  into  realization.  A  highly  intelligent,  attractive, 
amiable,  and  whole-hearted  young  woman, — a  sincere  disciple  of  Jesus  Christ, — well 
qualified  to  live,  well  qualified  also  to  die.  Peace  to  her  ashes,  while  her  memory  will 
be  long  and  lovingly  cherished  by  many  who  knew  her  in  life.  This  little  tribute  is 
gladly  laid  on  her  grave  by  one  who  knew  her  well,  and  valued  her  highly." 

344.  Helen  L.  Wyckoff,  1878-9,  taught  in  Centralia;  1879-81  in 
Roberts,  Illinois.     Since  February,  1882,  she  has  been  teaching  in 
Bloomington. 

345.  Osci  J.  Bainum,  1878-80,  taught  at  Parkersburg.     Since 
September,  1880,  he  has  been  principal  of  the  Olney  high  school. 

346.  John  T.   Bowles,    1878-80,   was  principal  of  the  Naples 
schools.     He  was  married  in  November,  1879,  to  Miss  Clara  Webster ; 
in  1880-1  he  taught  at  Gridley;    in  1881-2  he  was  principal  of  the 
Metropolis  high  school.     He  is  now  superintendent  of  the  Metropolis 
schools. 

347.  Oliver  P.  Burger,  1878-9,  taught  in  country  schools  near 
El  Paso;  1879-80  at  Crittenden,  New  York;  1880-1  taught  at  Spring 
Bay;  in  1881-2  he  was  principal  of  the  Secor  schools.     He  is  now  at 
Maroa,  Illinois. 

348.  Gilbert  A.  Burgess,  1878-81,  was  principal  of  the  schools  at 
Monticello.     He  was  then  appointed  county  superintendent. 


98  HISTORY   OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

349.  Arthur  0.   Butler,   1878-80,  was  principal  of  the  Normal 
public  schools.     Since  then  he  has  been  principal  of  the  Virginia, 
Illinois,  schools. 

350.  Andrew  W.  Elder,  1878-9,  taught  at  New  Boston ;  1880-1 
taught ;  1881-2  was  principal  of  the  Centralia  schools.     He  is  now 
teaching  in  Denver,  Colorado. 

351.  Willis  C.  Glidden  taught  from  the  time  he  entered  until 
graduation.     He  graduated  from  the  Homeopathic  Medical  College, 
Chicago,  in  June,  1879,  and  is  practicing  in  Beloit,  Kansas.     He  was 
married  in  June,  1881,  to  Miss  Leager. 

352.  C.  Guy  Laybourn,  1878-80,  was  principal  of  the  preparatory 
department  of  Markham's  Academy,  Milwaukee.     In  the  summer  of 
1880  he  visited  Europe.     On  his  return  he  entered  the  Ann  Arbor 
law  school,  and  remained  there  one  year.      He  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice in  Iowa,  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Wilson  &  Laybourn, 
Creston,  Iowa. 

353.  Edwin  II.  Risliel  taught  at  Adeline  in  1878-9.     He  is  now 
teaching  in  a  colored  university  at  Selma,  Alabama.     He  was  married 
in  the  summer  of  1880. 

354.  William  N.   Spencer  taught  three  months  in  Piatt  County; 
one  year  in  Hardin  County;  one  year  in  Bland ville,  Ky.,  and  the  last 
year  at  Carterville,  Missouri. 

355.  George  I.  Talbot  taught  in  Yictor  in  1878-9;  in  Shabbonu 
in  1879-80.     In  December,    1881,    he    was  elected   county   superin- 
tendent.    His  address  is  Shabbona. 

356.  Rachel  M.  Fell  (II.  S.)  taught  in  Normal  public  schools  two 
years.     She  is  now  working  in  labratory  of  natural  history. 

357.  Annie  Sudduth  (11.  S.)  is  at  her  home,  Normal,  Illinois. 

358.  Dorus  R.  Hatch  (II.  S.),  1878-9,  was  principal  of  the  Hurry 
schools.     He  held  the  same  position  until  January,  1880,  when  his 
eyes  became   so  weak  that  he  resigned  and   commenced  treatment. 
Since  then  he  has  been  railroading.     He  is  now  in  Chicago  under  a 
physician's  care.     His  address  is  13  Avon  Place. 

359.  Theodore  W.  Peers  (II.  S.),  1878-9,  taught  in  the  "colored 
department"  of  the  Collinsville  schools.     He  is  now  at  Ann  Arbor, 
Michigan. 


CLASS  OF  1879. 

360.  Annette  S.  Bowman,  since  graduating,  has  taught  as  assist- 
ant in  the  Rock  Island  high  school. 

361.  Amanda  M.  Crawford  is  continuing  her  studies  at  Normal. 

362.  Mary  S.  Cummings  taught  in  district  schools  nine  months. 
She  is  in  the  millinery  business  at  Macon. 

363.  Daisy  (Hubbard)  Carlock,  1879-80,  taught  at  Roodhouse ; 


STATE   NORMAL  UNIVERSITY.  99 

• 

1  vs'  >  -1  she  taught  in  Morris.     In  the  summer  of  1881  she  was  married 
to  Mr.  Carlock.     Her  address  is  Hudson. 

364.  Harriet  E.  Morse,  1879-80,  taught  at  Pekin,  and  has  since 
taught  at  Oregon,  Illinois. 

365.  Nettie  (Porter)  Powers,  1879-80,  taught  in  Mendota ;  1880-1 
in  Omaha.     In  the  summer  of  1881  she  was  married  to  Horace  E. 
Powers,  of  Omaha. 

366.  Lizzie  Ross,  since  graduation,  has  taught  at  Pekin. 

367.  Julia  Scott,  1879-81,  taught  in  Mendota.     She  was  assistant 
in  Normal  University  from  January,  1882,  to  the  end  of  the  year. 
Her  address  is  Pecatonica. 

368.  Emily  (Sherman)  Boyer,  1880-1,  taught  in  Astoria;  1881-2 
in  Normal  public  schools.     In  Julv,  1882,  she  was  married  to  E.  R. 
Boyer.     They  live  at  Lewistown,  Illinois. 

369.  Jennie  A.  Wood,  1879-80,  taught  in  Minonk;   in  Perry, 
Ohio,  ten  months,  and  is  now  teaching  near  Perry. 

370.  Emanuel  R.  Boyer,  1879-81,  was  principal  of  the  Astoria 
schools.     He  has  since  been  principal  of  the  Lewistown  schools.     In 
July,  1882,  he  married  Emily  A.  Sherman. 

371.  C.  R.  Cross  has  been  principal  at  Sparland,  Illinois,  since 
graduation. 

372.  Silas  Y.    Gillan  was  principal  of   the   Galena  schools  in 
1879-81,  and  has  since  been  principal  of  the  Danville  high  school.    In 
the  summer  of  1880  he  was  married  to  Lizzie  K.  Harned. 

373.  Horace  E.  Powers  graduated  from  Ann  Arbor  law  school, 
and  is  now  practicing  in  Omaha.     In  the  summer  of  1881  he  married 
Nettie  B.  Porter. 

374.  William  C.  Ramsey,  1879-80,  taught  at  Gait,   California; 
1  v  Vl  i -2  at  Stockton.     He  now  has  charge  of  the  Normal  Department  of 
the  Stockton  Business  College. 

375.  Fannie  C.  Fell  (II.  S.)  is  at  her  home,  in  Normal.       She 
taught  a  few  months  at  Streator,  Illinois,  but  ill  health  compelled  her  to 
resign. 

376.  Hattie  Follette  (II.  S.)  is  at  her  home,  in  Normal. 

377.  Mary  Sudduth  (H.  S.)  is  continuing  her  studies  at  Vassar 
College. 

378.  Nelson  K.  McCormick  (H.  S)  graduated  from  the  Wesleyan 
University  in  1881,  and  is  now  at  work  in  the  State  laboratory  of 
natural  history,  Normal. 

379.  Frank   M.    McMurry   (II.   S.)   taught    five    months    neaV 
Farmer  City,   and  four  months  at  Empire.     He  is  continuing  his 
studies  at  Ann  Arbor.     His  address  is  Normal. 

380.  Oscar  L.  McMurry  (II.  S.)  taught  four  months  near  Clifton, 
and  then  went  to  Ann  Arbor.     His  address  is  Normal. 

381.  Thomas   Williams   (II.    S.)   is    in    the   stock  business   in 
Kansas.     Address  Bloomington. 


100  HISTORY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

CLASS  OF  1880. 

382.  Elizabeth  Baumgardner,  for  two  years,  taught  the  primary 
department  of  the  Gardner  schools.        She  is  now  principal  of  the 
same  schools. 

383.  Helen   Baxter,    since    graduation,    has    been    teaching   at 
Griggsville. 

384.  Lillie  M.  Brown,  during  part  of  the  year  1881,  taught  in 
Mendota.     She  is  now  teaching  in  Berea,  Kentucky. 

385.  May  Hewett,  since  September,  1881,  has  been  teaching  in 
Oak  Park. 

386.  Helen  F.  Moore  taught  in  Decatur  until  December,  1881, 
when  she  resigned  to  go  to  Albuquerque,  New  Mexico. 

387.  Isabel  Overman,  1880-1,  taught  in  Gardner;   1881-2  she 
taught  six  months  in  Piatt  County.      Her  address  is  2715  Wabash 
Avenue,  Chicago. 

388.  Mary   E.   Parker,    1880-1,    taught  in   Eskridge,    Kansas ; 
1881-2  in  McPherson,  Kansas.     She  is  now  teaching  in  Gardner. 

389.  Grace  W.  Weeks,  1880-1,  taught  in  Dwight.     She  spent 
the  summer  of  1881  in  Normal.     She  is  now  in  the  south. 

390.  James  W.  Adams,  1880-2,  taught  in  Forrest. 

391.  Andrew  L.  Anderson,  1881-2,  taught  near  Chandlerville, 
Cass  County. 

392.  Alpheus  Dillon  has  taught  a  school  near  home  five  months. 

393.  James  M.   Harper,   1880-2,   was  principal  of  the  Gardner 
schools.     He  is  now  teaching  in  Milford,  Illinois. 

394.  Woodman  R.  Marriott,  1880-2,  was  principal  of  the  Port 
Byron  schools. 

395.  Carleton  E.  Webster  taught  two  years  in  the  Ottawa  town- 
ship high  school.     He  is  now  principal  of  the  Dixon  schools. 

396.  Edgar  Wyatt,  1880-1,  was  principal  of  the  Chapin  schools. 

397.  Alice  C.  McCormick  (H.  S.)  taught  one  year  at  Naples.   She 
is  now  continuing  her  studies  at  Normal. 

398.  Frances  Ohr  (H.  jS.)   taught  one  year  in  Gardner,  one  year 
in  Centralia,  and  is  now  in  the  Normal  public  schools. 

399.  F.  L.  Lufkin  (H.  S.)  is  continuing  his  studies  at  Ann  Arbor. 

400.  Herbert  McNulta  (II.  S.)  is  in  Annapolis  Naval  Academy. 

401.  George  K.  Smith  (II.  S.)  taught  in  Maroa  one  year,    and  is 
now  working  in  a  railroad  office  in  Denver.     His  address  is  296  Lin- 
coln Avenue. 


CLASS  OF  1SS1. 

402.  Sarah  A.  Anderson  is  teaching  in  the  Delavan  schools. 

403.  Clara  A.  W.  Bowles,  since  graduation,  has  been  teaching  in 
Metropolis,  Illinois. 


STATE    NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  101 

404.  Mary  R.  Gaston  taught  two  months  in  Mendota,  and  since 
in  Astoria,  Illinois. 

405.  Addie  Gillan  taught  in  the  Harvard  schools,  1881-2. 

406.  Mary  J.  Gillan  taught  one  year  in  Fanner  City.    She  is  now 
at  Danville. 

407.  Belle  Ilobbs  is  teaching  in  the  Metropolis  schools. 

408.  Annie  P.  Knight ;  health  does  not  permit  her  to  teach. 

409.  Helen  Middlekauf  is  continuing  her  studies  at  Wellesley, 
Massachusetts. 

410.  Celia  S.  Mills  taught  at  Mendota  in  1881-2.     She  is  now  in 
Normal. 

411.  Carrie  Rich  is  in  the  Shawneetown  schools. 

412.  Mary  A.  Springer  is  in  the  Elizabeth,  Illinois,  schools. 

413.  Lizzie  P.  Swan  taught  but  five  months  at  Metropolis,  resign- 
ing on  account  of  ill  health. 

414.  AVilliam  H.  Bean  taught  one  year  in  Blue  Mound,  and  is  now 
at  Ann  Arbor. 

415.  Isaac  L.  Betzeris  principal  of  East  Side  schools,  Champaign. 

416.  Elmer  E.  Brown  is  principal  of  the  Belvidere  schools. 

417.  James  B.  Estee  taught  one  year  at  Woodstock,  Illinois. 

418.  G.  Frank  Miner  is  principal  of  the  Hennepin  schools. 

419.  Wendall  Puckett  studied  one  year  at  Normal. 

420.  Edward  Shannon  is  principal  of  the  Payson  schools. 

421.  Elmer  E.  Shinkle  died  of  malarial  fever  in  August,  1881. 

422.  John  H.  Tear  is  principal  of  the  Astoria  schools. 
42-3.  Nathan  T.  Veatch  is  principal  of  the  Butler  schools. 
424.  Charles  Walter,  Alton,  Illinois. 


CLASS  OF  1882. 

425.  Mattie  V.  Bean. 

426.  Matilda  Glanville  teaches  at  DeKalb,  Illinois. 

427.  Camilla  Jenkins  teaches  at  Butler. 

428.  Lida  Kelly  teaches  in  Normal  public  schools. 

429.  Cora  A.  Lurton  teaches  at  Elgin. 

430.  Mattie  B.  Maxwell  teaches  at  Plainfield,  Illinois. 

431.  Lillian  Pillsbury  teaches  in  the  Belvidere  schools. 
43-2.  Mattie  L.  Powell  teaches  in  Amboy. 

433.  Florence  Ilubbard  Reid  is  at  Normal. 

434.  Louisa  M.  Scott  teaches  at  Magnolia,  Illinois. 

435.  Lettie  J.  Smiley  teaches  at  Gardner,  Illinois. 

436.  B.  Bayliss  Bcecher  (II.  S.)  teaches  in  McLean  Cr unity. 
l:;~.  Charles  Fordyce  teaches  in  McLean,  Illinois. 

43,s.  Jesse  F.  Hannah  teaches  in  Peru,  Illinois. 

439.  James  Y.  McIIugh  is  principal  of  the  Normal  public  schools. 


102  HISTORY   OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

440.  Murray  M.  Morrison  teaches  at  Adeline. 

441.  George  W.  Reeder  teaches  at  Mt.  Pulaski. 

442.  Milton  R.  Regan  -teaches  at  Auburn,  Illinois. 

443.  Edwin  E.  Rosenberry  teaches  at  Franklin  Grove,  Illinois. 

444.  Charles  N.  Smith  is  studying  medicine  in  Danville. 

445.  William  J.  Smith  teaches  at  Oak  Hill. 

446.  Evens  W.  Thomas  teaches  in  the  Normal  Department  of 
the  University  of  Colorado,  at  Boulder. 

447.  Franklin  L.  Williams  teaches  in  Loda,  Illinois. 


PHILADELPHIAN  SOCIETY. 


The  State  Normal  University  was  opened  October  5,  1857,  in 
Major  Block,  in  Bloomington,  with  an  attendance  of  nineteen,  of 
whom  six  were  males.  Four  days  after  the  opening  of  the  school, 
October  9,  1857,  the  male  students  (by  this  time  their  number  had 
increased),  "desirous,"  as  the  preamble  to  their  constitution  reads, 
"of  forming  a  society  for  the  purpose  of  extending  their  social 
relations,  and  for  the  elevation  of  their  moral  character  and  intel- 
lectual attainments,"  called  a  meeting  in  a  small  room  on  the  second 
Hoor  of  the  building.  The  room  was  lighted  by  one  miserable  old 
tallow  candle,  and,  as  Mr.  Gastman  says,  "Harvey  J.  Dutton  had  a 
fearful  time  in  trying  to  induce  the  old  thing  to  burn."  C.  D.  Irons, 
of  Peoria,  was  chairman,  and  II.  J.  Dutton,  of  Metamora,  secretary 
pro  tern.  After  a  lengthy  discussion  of  the  object  of  the  meeting, 
Mr.  Pope  and  Mr.  Harper  were  appointed  a  committee  to  draft  a 
constitution,  which  was  presented  and  accepted  on  the  following 
evening,  fixing  the  name  of  the  society  as  the  "Normal  Debating 
Society."  The  following  names  were  immediately  affixecf  to  the 
instrument: 

Henry  II.  Pope,  Taylorville,  Christian  County;  E.  D.  Harris, 
Monmouth,  Warren  County;  J.  G.  Howell,  Duncanton,  White 
County;  John  Hull,  Salem,  Marion  County;  C.  D.  Irons,  Peoria, 
Peoria  County;  J.  L.  Spaulding,  Metamora,  Woodford  County;  II.  J. 
Dutton,  Metamora,  Woodford  County ;  Peter  Harper,  Peoria,  Peoria 
County;  Edwin  Philbrook,  Vandalia,  Fayette  County;  E.  A.  Gast- 
man, Hudson,  McLean  County;  B.  F.  Rawolt,  Canton,  Fulton 
County;  Silas  Hayes,  Bloomington,  McLean  County;  L.  L.  Lightner, 
Thebes,  Alexander  County;  J.  D.  Kirkpatrick,  Princeton,  Bureau. 
County. 

The  meeting  then  elected  C.  D.  Irons,  president,  J.  L.  Spaul-  ' 
ding,    vice-president,    H.    J. .  Dutton,    secretary,    and    John    Hull, 
treasurer,  and  selected  their  first  question  for  debate,  which  was  as 
follows:    "Is  a  lawyer  justified  in  defending  a  bad  cause?"  supported 


STATE   NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  103 

by  Messrs.  Hull,  Howell,  Harper,  Philbrook,  and  Kirkpatrick,  on  the 
affirmative,  and  by  Messrs.  I*ope,  Dutton,  Hayes,  Spaulding,  and 
Webber,  on  the  negative. 

The  peculiar  and  interesting  parts  of  the  first  constitution  read  as 
follows: 

Preamble.  Whereas,  we,  the  undersigned  students  of  the  Normal  University, 
of  the  State  of  Illinois,  desirous  of  forming  a  society  for  the  purpose  of  extending  our 
social  relations,  and  for  the  elevation  of  our  moral  character  and  intellectual  attain- 
ments, pledge  ourselves  to  be  governed  by  the  following  constitution  and  by-laws: 

ARTICLE  I.    This  Society  shall  be  known  as  the  Normal  Debating  Society. 

ARTICLE  II.  The  officers  of  this  Society  shall  consist  of  a  president,  vice- 
president,  secretary,  treasurer,  librarian,  critic,  marshal,  editress,  and  chorister. 

AUTICLE  III.    The  exercises  of  this  Society  shall  consist  of  debates,  etc. 

ARTICLE  XII.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of -each  member  to  attend  all  the  regular 
meetings  of  the  Society,  and  to  perform  such  other  duties  as  the  Society  may  impose 
upon  them. 

ARTICLE  XIII.    Four  regular  meetings  shall  constitute  a  term. 

ARTICLE  XX.  Should  any  member  move  the  dissolution  of  this  Society,  he 
shall  thereupon  be  expelled. 

The  name  of  the  Society,  especially  after  the  ladies  were 
admitted,  was  not  perfectly  satisfactory,  and  October  15,  1858,  notice 
was  given  by  Mr.  Hull  that  two  weeks  from  that  time  a  proposition 
would  be  made  to  change  the  name.  Accordingly,  October  29,  it 
was  moved  that  Article  I  be  so  amended  as  to  read:  "This  Society 
shall  be  known  by  the  name  of  'Social  Friends.'  '  This  change  did 
not  seem  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  members,  and  it  was  tabled  for 
one  week,  when  it  was  taken  from  the  table,  voted  on,  and  lost.  At 
last,  Miss  Jennie  G.  Michie,  now  Mrs.  Dr.  Fox,  of  Lyons,  Cook 
County,  Illinois,  proposed  the  name  "Philadelphian,"  as  expressing 
the  idea  that  we  are  a  band  of  brothers.  This  was  finally  adopted, 
after  much  discussion  and  filibustering. 

The  first  few  meetings  are  interesting,  on  account  of  the  variety 
of  exercises  they  present  in  contrast  with  our  present  meetings.  The 
exercises  consisted,  as  per  Article  I  of  the  constitution,  of  debates, 
etc.,  and  if  the  minutes  are  correct,  the  "etc."  part  of  the  programme 
must  have  been  irregular  business.  The  entire  literary  part  of  the 
programme,  in  those  days,  consisted  of  debates,  and  if  one  did  not 
occupy  the  whole  evening,  the  members  often  proposed  another,  and 
went  to  work  on  it,  making  it  sometimes  the  best  debate  of  the 
evening.  The  roll  was  often  called,  and  members  were  expected  to 
respond  by  speaking  on  the  subject.  What  a  sensation  that  would 
produce  if  practiced  now! 

Attendance  on  all  regular  meetings,  and  performance  of  duty, 
were  compulsory  then,  and  the  Societies  were  always  called  to  order 
on  time,  probably  because  of  the  fine  attached  to  tardiness.  At  that 
time  members  of  the  Society  acted  as  critics,  which  custom  prevailed 
up  to  about  1865,  when  gradually  the  professors  came  to  till  that 
position,  and  now  a  student  as  critic  is  seldom  seen.  It  was  formerly 
the  custom  to  have  special  critics  for  papers  and  debates.  At  first 


104  HISTORY   OF  THE   ILLINOIS 

the  critic  was  one  of  the  officers,  chosen  at  the  regular  election.  It 
was  also  customary,  the  evening  of  the  installation  of  officers,  for  the 
out-going  presidents  to  appoint  one  or  two  persons  (ususally  ladies, 
for  at  that  time  the  presidents  were  always  gentlemen,  no  lady  being 
bold  enough  to  aspire  to  the  presidency)  to  conduct  the  president 
elect  to  the  chair.  At  that  time  members  were  not  afraid  to  do 
work,  as  is  manifested  by  the  fact  that  the  same  persons  were  on 
debate  every  evening  for  nearly  a  whole  term.  According  to  the 
constitution,  the  Society  held  its  first  meetings  Wednesday  evenings, 
but  the  first  amendment  to  the  constitution  changed  that  to  Friday 
evenings.  This  continued  to  be  the  time  until  after  the  formation  of 
the  Wrightonian  Society,  and  after  the  bitter  feeling  that  existed 
between  the  two  Societies  had  subsided  enough  to  permit  them  to 
act  together,  when  the  Philadelphians  would  meet  Friday  night,  and 
the  Wrightonians  Saturday  night,  and  vice  versa  the  next  week. 
After  many  changes  in  the  time  of  meeting,  the  present  plan  was 
finally  adopted. 

The  manner  of  conducting  their  exercises  appear  to  us  as  father 
peculiar.  In  those  exciting  times  the  Society  was  of  the  first  import- 
ance; marks  and  graduation  were  secondary  affairs.  There  were 
fewer  members  and  as  much  work  to  be  done  as  now,  and  each  one 
had  to  do  his  part  toward  pushing  forward  the  Society. 

The  solid  debates,  in  which  the  members  engaged  with  a  great 
deal  of  zest,  were  lightened  here  and  there  by  a  humorous  one,  in 
which  the  professors  were  not  loath  to  engage.  This  dignified  subject 
was  once  discussed: 

Resolved,  That  we  most  horribly  protest  against,  vigorously  con- 
demn, obstreperously  denounce,  and  aguishly  shudder  at  the  influence 
of  such  historical  literature  as, — 

"  Jack  and  Gill  went  up  the  hiil 

To  get  a  pail  of  water. 
Jack  fell  down  and  cracked  his  crown, 
And  Gill  came  tumbling  after." 

Supported  on  the  affirmative  by  Professors  Hewett  and  Sewall,  and 
on  the  negative  by  Professors  Stetson  and  Edwards. 

And  again,  "Resolved,  That  the  poem  commencing,  'High  Did- 
dle Diddle,  the  Cat  and  the  Fiddle,'  etc.,  is  utterly  unworthy  of  belief," 
supported  by  gentlemen  Sewall  and  Baldwin,  and  denied  by  gentle- 
men Hewett  and  Wright.  The  question  was  decided  by  a  committee 
appointed  by  the  chair  to  examine  a  copper  tossed  by  the  president. 
The  committee  consisted  of  gentlemen  Hull,  Liversay,  and  Gilwie. 

Again,  "Ought  men  to  shave?" 

The  following  preamble  and  resolution  was  presented  by  Mr. 
Hewett,  in  a  joint  meeting,  March  1,  1862,  and  received  with  much 
applause: 

S.  We  are  credibly  informed  that  the  president  of  the 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  105 

Wrightonian  Society  has  this  day  become  the  possessor  of  a  fine  horse 
and  buggy;  therefore,  be  it 

Resolved,  That  we  are  jointly  and  severally  tickled." 

During  the  war,  and  the  exciting  times  before  and  after  it,  ques- 
tions of  more  than  usual  interest  were  discusssed  with  more  than  the 
usual  earnestness.  Questions  such  as, 

Resolved,  That  it  is  just  and  expedient  at  the  present  time  for 
congress  to  declare  the  liberation  of  the  slaves  of  those  in  rebellion 
against  the  government."  September  28,  1861. 

"Resolved,  That  the  slaves  emancipated  by  the  United  States 
government  should  be  colonized  on  this  continent."  May,  1862. 

"Resolved,  That  the  appointment  of  General  Hall  eck  in  place  of 
Fremont  was  unjust  and  impolitic. " 

"Is  it  expedient  to  colonize  the  freedmen?" 

"Resolved,  That  the  States  in  rebellion  should  be  reduced  to  the 
condition  of  Territories." 

"Resolved,  That  Jeff.  Davis  should  be  hung."  December  2,  1865. 

"Has  a  State  a  right  to  secede?" 

"Resolved,  That  congress  should  declare  the  slaves  free." 

'•'Resolved,  That  Lincoln's  proclamation  is  unjust  and  impolitic." 

Gradually,  other  exercises  found  their  way  into  the  Society.  First, 
declamations,  then  orations,  and  when  the  ladies  were  full-fledged 
members  they  started  a  paper,  called  "The  Literary  Paper,"  which 
consisted  of  several  departments, — under  as  many  editresses, — as  the 
"political,"  the  "social,"  and  the  "religious  departments,"  which 
continued  to  exist  for  some  time. 

Our  "Ladies'  Garland"  was  first  known  as  "The  Student's  Man- 
ual," and  was  entirely  in  the  hands  of  the  gentlemen.  In  February. 
1858,  the  name  became  just  "The  Garland,"  yet  in  the  hands  of  the 
gentlemen,  but  in  August  of  the  same  year  it  came  into  the  hands  of 
the  ladies,  and  has  since  been  known  as  "The  Ladies'  Garland." 

Debates,  considered  the  object  of  the  Society  at  first,  gradually 
lost  ground,  except  during  the  war,  until  now  our  exercises  consist  of 
"etc.,"  and  debates,  in  the  face  of  the  old  constitution.  The  gradual 
growth  of  the  present  class  of  exercises  is  plainly  seen  in  the 
minutes  of  the  meetings,  where  the  whole  programme  is  usually 
recorded.  Shakspearian  readings  were  practiced  considerably, 
which  lightened  the  exercises  very  much.  These  the  teachers  con- 
ducted as  they  do  now.  The  professors  frequently  lectured  before 
the  Societies.  Often  their  lectures  have  been  published  at  the 
expense  of  the  Society,  and  copies  distributed  among  the  members. 
The  usual  lecturers  were  Professors  Stetson,  Sewall,  and  Cook,  and 
Doctors  Hewett  and  Edwards.  During  the  war,  tableaux  illustrating 
scenes  from  military  life /were  given. 

During  the  early  days  of  the  Society,  only  Normal  students  were 
admitted,  but  on  April  29,  1862,  the  Societies  agreed  to  draw  the 


106  HISTORY  OF  THE   ILLINOIS 

students  of  the  model  school,  who  were  of  the  age  required  for  admis- 
sion, into  the  Normal,  but  they  could  not  hold  office,  nor  vote,  and 
were  not  subject  to  tax.  Later,  they  were  admitted  on  the  same 
terms  as  the  Normal  students.  At  this  time  they  were  among  the 
most  active  members  of  the  Society.  There  were  frequently  contests 
between  the  two  departments,  and  very  exciting  ones,  too,  for,  on 
the  whole,  the  Normal  students  did  not  win  much  glory.  Although 
ladies  were  not  admitted  at  first,  despite  the  opposition  of  a  few,  led 
by  Mr.  Harper,  on  October  16,  1858,  it  was  moved  and  carried  to 
invite  the  professors  and  ladies  to  attend  and  take  part  in  the  exer- 
cises, and  soon  afterward  the  constitution  was  so  changed  as  to  admit 
them.  The  opposition  were  not  conquered,  however,  and  January 
20,  1860,  Mr.  Harper,  as  Mr.  Philbrook  says,  "a  persistent  English- 
man, and  a  bachelor,"  introduced  a  motion  excluding  ladies  from  the 
Soc:ety,  giving  as  the  principal  objections,  that  their  presence  would 
embarrass  the  beginners  and  leave  all  the  talking  to  a  favored  few, 
and  that  many  young  men  would  attend  the  exercises  simply  to 
accompany  the  ladies,  and  disturb  rather  than  assist  the  meeting. 
The  motion,  however,  failed,  and  no  more  was  heard  of  the  opposi- 
tion. The  ladies  quietly  grew  into  power  and  began  to  hold 
office.  As  officers,  they  crept  gradually  up  from  chorister  and 
editress  to  the  position  of  secretary,  which  office  was  first  filled  by 
Miss  Scott,  in  December,  1861 ;  and  to  the  position  of  president,  in 
the  winter  term  of  1870,  which  office  was  filled  by  Miss  Alice 
Eminons,  who  had  a  hard  fight  for  the  position,  having  been  defeated 
the  term  before.  The  election  of  a  lady  caused  dissatisfaction,  and 
a  committee  was  appointed  to  test  the  election,  and  it  was  finally 
declared  illegal.  R.  A.  Edwards  was  chosen  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  presidents,  and  the  order  in  which 
they  served,  from  the  organization  up  to  the  winter  term  of  1882: 

1.  0.  D.  Irons,  49.  C.  W.  Hodgin, 

2.  Edwin  Philbrook,  50.  J.  R.  Edwards, 

3.  Peter  Harper,  51.  L.  A.  Chase, 

4.  Henry  H.  Pope,  52.  Joseph  Carter, 

5.  E.  A.  Gastinan,  53.  William  M.  Bane, 

6.  John  Hull,  54.  William  Edwards, 

7.  J.  G.  Howell,  55.  B.  W.  Baker, 

8.  E.  D.  Harris,  56.  A.  C.  Cotton, 

9.  L.  H.  Hite,  57.  Alice  Emmons, 

10.  J.  F.  Ridlon,  58.  Alice  Emmons, 

11.  J.  M.  Burch,  59.  James  H.  Hovey, 

12.  M.  R  Kell,  60.  William  C.  Griffith, 

13.  T.  F.  Willis,  61.  George  Blount, 

14.  E.  A.  Gastman,  62.  Lottie  C.  Blake, 

15.  Edwin  Philbrook  63.  Frank  Eichey, 

16.  J.  G.  Howell,  64.  N.  B.  Eeed, 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY. 


107 


17.  J.  Littk-, 

18.  Mr.  Waite, 

19.  John  Hull, 

20.  M.  I.  Morgan, 

21.  J.  G.  Howell, 

22.  E.  A.  Gastimm, 

23.  T.  F.  Willis, 

24.  Edwin  Philbrook, 

25.  E.  F.  Bacon, 

26.  J.  Little, 

27.  M.  I.  Morgan, 
2S.  Ira  Moore, 
i>(-).  Ira  Moore, 

30.  Mr.  Waite, 

31.  J.  Little, 

32.  M.  I.  Morgan,  , 

33.  Mr.  Waite, 

34.  I.  D.  Scholes, 

35.  John  F.  Gawdy, 

36.  J.  ll.  Thompson, 

37.  C.  F.  Childs, 

38.  0.  F.  Childs, 

39.  D.  Fulwidcr. 

40.  C.  H.  Crandall, 

41.  W.  L.  Pillsbmy, 

42.  Mr.  Robinson, 

43.  H.  C.  Karr, 

44.  Joseph  Hunter, 

45.  E.  0.  Hewett, 

46.  A.  T.  Ewing, 

47.  F.  J.  Seybold, 


65.  Louise  Ray, 

66.  J.  D.  Templeton,' 

67.  I.  E.  Brown, 

68.  F.  B.  Tait, 

69.  J.  K  Wilkinson, 

70.  S.  L.  Spear, 

71.  Ella  Morgan, 

72.  Elma  J.  Webster, 

73.  Lewis  Bryan, 

74.  C.  O.  Drayton, 

75.  Mary  A.  Anderson, 

76.  D.  C.  Tyler, 

77.  Charles  McMurry, 

78.  W.  C.  Glidden, 

79.  Miss  F.  Preston, 

80.  Miss  A.  Stahl, 

81.  H.  E.  Powers, 

82.  Jessie  Dexter, 

83.  G.  A.  Burgess, 

84.  C.  E.  Webster, 

85.  W.  C.  Ramsey, 

86.  John  Humphrey, 

87.  Jesse  F.  Hannah, 

88.  W.  H.  Chamberlain, 

89.  Austin  C.  Rishel, 

90.  Frank  Tyrrell, 

91.  E.  W.  Thomas, 

92.  May  Parsons, 

93.  L.  Messick, 

94.  M.  R.  Regan, 

95.  F.  L.  Williams, 

96.  J.  L.  Hall. 


is.  W.  L.  Pillsbury, 

Of  the  faculty  not  before  mentioned,  Miss  Flora  Penncll  was  sec- 
retary in  the  spring  of  1870,  and  vice-president  in  the  winter  of  l^Ti'; 
Mr.  De  Garmo  was  chorister  in  1871;  Mr.  Ilewett  was  treasurer  in  the 
summer  of  1863;  Miss  Bandusia  Wakefield  was  secretary  during  the 
winter  of  1865. 

The  constitution  has  suffered  many  changes.  During  its  history, 
there  have  been  seventy  changes  or  amendments,  three  of  which  have 
been  complete  revisions.  The  first  change  was  proposed  the  same 
evening  the  constitution  was  adopted. 

Members  were  formerly  elected  to  the  Society  on  their  application. 
The  first  account  of  any  "drawing"  is  recorded  as  happening  during 
the  winter  term  of  1859,  when  a  committee  was  appointed  to  see  t<>  it. 
Even  then  they  had  to  pass  through  the  form  of  an  election  before 
becoming  full  members.  This  was  abolished  by  a  change  in  the  con- 


108  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

stitution  soon  afterwards.     Thus  for  no  mention  has  been  made  of  the 
organization  of  the  Wrightonian  Society. 

On  the  evening  of  February  26th,  1858,  during  the  presidency  of 
E.  A.  Gastman,  after  a  very  exciting  debate,  and  during  a  very  stormy 
time  among  the  members,  which  prolonged  the  exercises  very  much, 
as  there  was  a  rule  which  made  it  the  duty  of  the  president  to  fine  any 
member  who  left  the  room  without  permission  of  the  presiding  officer, 
C.  D.  Irons,  H.  J.  Dutton,  and  J.  L.  Spaulding  requested  permission 
to  leave  the  room.  As  the  session  was  nearly  over,  Mr.  Gastman 
asked  the  gentlemen  to  remain  until  the  adjournment.  This  request 
was  answered  by  their  promptly  leaving  the  hall,  and  the  president 
ordered  a  fine  of  twenty-five  cents  to  be  entered  against  each  of  the 
refractory  gentleman.  This  action  was  the  beginning  of  a  trouble  that 
led  to  the  founding  of  the  Wrightonian  Society.  The  next  step  is 
best  shown  by  the  minutes  of  the  meeting  which  are  as  follows  : 

BLOOMINGTON,  February  27,  1858,  3:30  p.  m. 

Special  meeting;  roll  called;  society  resolved  itself  into  a  com- 
mittee of  the  whole;  Mr.  Gastman  was  chosen  chairman  of  the  meeting, 
Hite  acting  as  secretary.  Gentlemen  Irons,  Dutton  and  Spaulding 
appealed  to  the  house  from  the  decisi6n  of  the  chair,  in  the  case  of  the 
fine  imposed  upon  them.  After  considerable  wrangling,  the  question, 
"Will  the  Society  sustain  the  president?  "  was  put,  and  decided  in  the 
affirmative.  Motion  was  made  by  Mr.  Pope  to  expunge  the  fine  from 
the  records.  Carried.  On  motion,  the  society  adjourned.  March  5th, 
the  resignations  of  the  gentlemen  were  handed  in  and  acted  upon. 
Spalding's  and  Dutton's  were  accepted,  but  on  motion  of  John  Hull, 
C.  D.  Irons  was  expelled  from  the  Society.  On  March  6th,  however, 
Iron's  resignation  was  accepted,  and  on  March  7th,  their  request  for 
an  honorable  discharge  was  granted. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  spring  term,  in  1858,  an  unusually  large 
class  entered  the  University.  Among  them  were  J.  II.  Burnham,  P. 
R.  Walker,  Aaron  Gove  and  H.  B.  Norton.  "We  noticed,"  says  Mr. 
Gastman,  "that  these  men  came  into  our  Society,  but  manifested  no 
desire  to  join.  In  a  short  time  it  was  whispered  around  that  Dutton 
and  Irons  were  going  in  with  these  men  to  form  a  new  society.  It 
was  also  hinted  that  this  new  society  would  receive  the  aid  and  sym- 
pathy of  Simeon  Wright,  then  an  honored  and  respected  member  of 
the  Board  of  Education.  It  seems  quite  ludicrous  to  me  now,  when  I 
remember  the  tremendous  excitement  this  announcement  produced 
among  us.  The  leaders  of  the  opposition  were  quiet  workers,  and  it 
was  sometime  before  their  real  plans  were  disclosed.  When  it  was 
generally  known  that  a  new  society  was  formed,  and  recognized  by 
the  president  of  the  University,  we  were  somewhat  disgusted  with  the 
uncertainty  of  human  affairs.  As  I  remember  it,  the  new  society  came 
into  existence  with  the  name  of  'Wrightonian,'  and  it  was  always 
understood  that  it  was  conferred  on  account  of  the  gratitude  that  the 


STATK    NOUMAL    UNIVERSITY.  l(l',» 

members  felt  toward  'Uncle  Sim'  for  his  kindness  at  a  time  when 
they  needed  all  the  help  they  could  get"  We  thus  see  that  the  real 
founders  of  the  Wrightonian  Society  were  our  first  president,  vice- 
president  and  secretary. 

Perhaps  it  is  worth  while  to  repeat  an  old  joke  that  gave  some 
of  us  considerable  satisfaction  at  the  time.  Between  Ira  Moore  and 
the  members  of  the  new  Society,  there  was  considerable  gall  and 
wormwood.  They  did  not  like  him,  and  certainly  no  love  was  lost. 
Neither  party  took  pains  to  hide  the  feelings  that  raged  within. 
When  the  rooms  were  fitted  up  in  the  University,  some  of  the 
boys  were  puzzling  their  brains  over  the  motto  on  the  door  of  the 
Wrightonian  Society — sapere  aude  (dare  to  be  wise).  The  discussion 
attracted  quite  a  number,  and  just  then  it  happened  that  Prof.  Moore 
passed  along,  and  some  one  called  on  him  to  translate  the  motto. 
Without  a  moment's  hesitation  he  said,  "Sap  heads  and  adders," 
and  passed  on.  For  quite  a  time  it  was  altogether  sufficient  to  set  a 
Wrightonian  raving  to  ask  about  the  meaning  of  the  motto  on  the  door. 

The  first  meeting  recorded  as  being  held  at  Normal  was  that  on 
September  22,  1860,  and  was  in  one  of  the  lower  rooms.  The  first 
meeting  held  in  the  Philadelphia!!  Hall  was  on  October  20,  1860. 
January  5,  1861,  arrangements  were  begun  for  dedicating  the  hall, 
which  were  carried  out  July  2,  1861.  The  minutes  of  the  meeting 
are  as  follows: 

PHILADELPHIAN  HALL,  Friday  Evening,  July  2,  1861. 

The  Society  assembled  for  the  purpose  of  dedicating  this  hall. 
The  Wrightonian  Society  attended  in  a  body,  and  many  other  visitors 
were  present,  including  members  of  the  State  Board  of  Education, 
filling  the  hall  to  its  utmost  capacity.  The  following  programme  was 
successfully  carried  out,  viz.: 

1.  Prayer  by  the  Ilev.  Mr.  Ames,  of  Bloomington. 

2.  Music — "Washington's  Birthday." 

3.  Dedication  address  by  B.   F.  Taylor,  of  Chicago.     Subject, 
"Going  Away  from  Home." 

4.  Dedication  Ode,  written  by  Miss  Sprague.     (Tune,  America.) 

Come,  brothers,  sisters,  sing; 
Let  all  our  voices  ring 

In  concord  sweet. 
To  dedicate  this  room, 
Our  Philadelphia!!  home, 
We  hither  gladly  come 

With  joyful  feet. 

To  progress,  social  joy, 
And  truth  without  alloy, 

This  hall  we  give. 
The  pleasures  tasted  here, 
With  friends  to  us  so  dear, 
Shall  yield  us  mem'ries  dear 

While  each  shall  live. 


110  HISTORY    OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

Before  we  close  our  song 
We'll  greet  the  coming  throng 

Who  hither  move. 
As  time  new  years  shall  tell, 
Oh!  may  the  members  swell, 
Our  name  still  proving  well, 

"Fraternal  Love." 

K  E  C  E  S  S . 

5.  The  unfortunate  quarrel  among  Uncle  Sam's  girls:     Prudence 
(away   down    east),    Miss    Sprague;    Ruth    (middle    States),    Miss 
Dunlap;    Carolina  (the    sunny   south),    Miss    Stevenson;    Katrina 
(prairie  land),  Miss  Puffer. 

6.  Music— "The  Crystal  Spring." 

7*  Oration — "Our  Society,"  by  John  Little. 
8.  Music — "Over  the  Mountain  Wave." 

DISMISSION. 
E.  F.  BACON,  Secretary.  M.  I.  MOKGA.N,  President. 

The  manner  of  gaming  our  room  is  worthy  of  mention.  When 
this  building  was  ready  for  occupancy,  there  was  some  dispute  in 
regard  to  the  choice  of  halls.  So  one  day  the  boys  lifted  Prof.  Moore 
to  their  shoulders,  and  let  him  through  the  transom  of  the  south  hall, 
which  he  preempted  in  the  name  of  the  Philadelphian  Society. 

On  the  eleventh  of  May,  1867,  the  Societies  received  their  charters 
from  the  Legislature,  of  which  they  were  justly  very  proud.  Mr. 
Gastman  says:  "We  felt  that  we  were  somebody;  we  could  sue  and  be 
sued.  We  put  on  a  good  many  airs  in  consequence  of  it,  and 
attempted  to  intimidate  the  faculty  when  they  threatened  to  close  up 
the  halls  if  the  Societies  did  not  keep  better  order. 

For  a  number  of  years  but  little  improvement  was  made  on  the 
halls.  They  were  warmed  by  the  pipes  which  are  still  here,  but  for 
years  have  not  been  used.  The  pipes  had  a  habit  of  beginning  sud- 
denly, and  without  warning,  a  most  disagreeable  popping  and  cracking, 
more  or  less,  throughout  their  entire  length.  This  often  occurred 
when  some  flowery  orator  was  in  the  midst  of  his  most  effective  burst 
of  eloquence.  There  was  no  help  for  it.  Business  had  to  be  suspended 
until  the  pipes  stopped  their  noise,  which  they  usually  did  in  a  short 
time,  and  about  as  suddenly  as  they  began.  An  improvement  was 
made  in  the  pipes,  which  thenceforth  prevented  this  noise,  and  soon 
afterward  stoves  were  brought  in.  For  two  or  three  years  the  halls 
were  not  carpeted.  Our  first  carpet  was  a'  red-and-white  Brussels, 
selected  and  purchased  with  the  greatest  secrecy.  It  was  presented  to 
the  Society  by  Professors  Hewett,  Moore,  and  rlovey,  and  a  few  others 
of  the  Society,  and  cost  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  It  was 
desired  to  have  it  laid  without  the  Wrightonians  knowing  anything 
about  it  until  the  following  Saturday  night,  when  we  expected  to  da/xle 
their  eyes  with  a  beautiful  new  carpet,  in  striking  contrast  to  their  own 


STATE   NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  1  1  1 

bare  floor.  But  we  missed  it.  It  was  deemed  that  the  only  time  to 
get  the  carpet  into  the  hall  unobserved  was  during  devotional  exercises. 
As  the  boys  were  taking  it  in  at  one  of  the  windows,  they  were  dis- 
covered by  a  tardy  Wrightonian,  and  by  Saturday  evening  the  Wright- 
onians  had  a  carpet  laid  ready  for  use.  That  red-and-wnite  Brussels 
was  sold  when  the  old  one  sold  this  year  was  purchased. 

The  platform  was  formerly  at  the  opposite  end  of  the  hall.  The 
one  now  used  by  the  critic  was  placed  upon  another,  about. two  and 
one-half  feet  wider.  On  the  upper  and  smaller  one  the  president  was 
perched,  and  the  person  addressing  the  Society  stood  on  the  narrow 
projection  of  the  lower  one,  if  he  did  not  step  off,  which  a  high-flown 
orator  would  sometimes  do,  just  as  the  eagle  was  soaring  to  its  highest 
altitude.  When  the  platform  was  first  changed  to  its  present  position, 
the  lower  part  extended  entirely  across  the  room,  and  the  upper  part 
not  so  far.  The  piano  stood  on  the  lower  part,  and  made  it  necessary 
for  the  musicians  to  ascend  two  steps,  and  descend  one,  to  get  to  the 
instrument.  It  was  soon  changed  to  its  present  form,  thereby  con- 
forming to  the  plan  of  the  Wrightonians,  who  had  taken  the  start  of  us 
in  at  least  one  improvement.  When  the  change  in  the  platform  was 
made,  it  became  necessary  to  ornament  the  windows  behind  the  presi- 
dent's chair.  The  expense  of  fixing  it  as  it  now  is,  was  nearly  one 
hundred  dollars  in  those  times  of  high  prices.  The  walls  have  been 
twice  frescoed,  once  in  1868,  during  the  winter  term,  at  a  cost" 
not  less  than  one  hundred  two  dollars,  but  how  much  more  is  a 
mystery.  "When  the  hall  was  frescoed  the  second  time,  is  not 
definitely  known.  The  first  frescoing  was  badly  damaged  by 
the  leaking  of  the  roof,  and  by  a  careless  carpenter,  who  pushed  his 
foot  through  the  ceiling. 

Our  rooms  were  first  lighted  by  tallow  candles,  then  by  wall  lamps, 
and  lastly  by  chandeliers,  two  sets  of  which  have  been  used.  In  the 
early  days,  the  Normal  University  boasted  of  but  one  piano,  the  little, 
old  one  now  used  in  the  primary  room.  This  the  societies  used  alter- 
nately, carrying  it  up  and  back  again  each  Saturday  evening.  The 
societies  not  having  any  instruments,  oftentimes  regaled  themselves 
witli  comb  music  and  the  like.  At  last  a  bold  strike  was  made,  and 
in  186-i  a  new  and  expensive  piano  was  purchased,  and  dedicated 
with  appropriate  ceremonies.  On  November  4,  of  the  same  year,  the 
Wrightonians,  hearing  of  our  intention  and  being  determined  to  keep 
even  with  us  and  have  a  piano  of  some  sort,  bought  a  second-hand  one, 
which  soon  wore  out,  compelling  the  purchase  of  a  new  one.  The 
music  in  the  early  days  consisted  most  commonly  of  hymns,  and  to  aid 
in  the  singing,  hymn  books  were  furnished  the  members.  The  chor- 
ister, or  his  assistant,  usually  led  in  this  exercise,  which  quite  often 
was  somewhat  of  the  character  of  congregational  singing  in  churches, — 
either  too  fast  or  too  slow,  too  high  or  too  low,  and  always  ftill  of 
discords. 


112  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

Many  of  our  pictures  were  donated  to  us,  but  the  larger  number 
were  purchased  and  hung  between  the  years  1868  and  1873. 
Previous  to  1867,  the  chairs  used  were  carried  up  from  the  recitation 
rooms,  not  then  being  fastened  together  as  now.  When  we  had  an 
influx  of  visitors,  the  president  would  ask  some  of  the  gentlemen  to 
step  down  stairs  and  bring  up  some  more  chairs.  They  were  not 
always  promptly  returned,  and  President  Edwards  often  became 
quite  indignant  in  consequence.  In  1866  a  union  festival  was  held, 
at  which  all  kinds  of  gambling  known  to  the  moral  and  religious 
world  were  resorted  to,  such  as  grab-bags,  ring-cakes,  fish-ponds,  etc., 
as  well  as  many  other  perfectly  legitimate  means,  for  the  purpose  of 
raising  money.  By  this  festival  three  hundred  and  ten  dollars  was 
cleared,  and  arm  chairs  were  purchased  February  23,  1867,  at  a  cost 
of  five  hundred  dollars.  After  furnishing  and  beautifying  the  rooms, 
a  re-dedication  took  place.  This  was  during  the  administration  of 
Loring  A.  Chase. 

Janitor's  fees  for  the  care  of  the  hall  have  varied  largely.  About 
fifteen  years  ago  the  members  took  turns  in  caring  for  the  hall,  free 
of  charge.  The  work  has  several  times  been  let  for  eighteen  cents 
per  week;  once  for  seventeen  and  three-fourth  cents;  then  for 
twenty  cents,  thirty  cents,  and  sixty  cents.  We  pay  now  seventy-five 
cents.  For  a  long  time  previous  to  the  removal  of  the  stove,  one 
dollar  and  a  quarter  was  paid. 

It  was  formerly  the  custom  to  leave  all  wrappings  in  the 
dressing  rooms,  when  coming  up  to  the  Society,  as  we  now  do 
when  up  coming  to  school.  Society  meetings  were  more  like 
sociables. 

Our  library  started  with  a  few  pamphlets  belonging  to  mem- 
bers, or  donated  by  them.  Shortly  after  the  organization  of  the 
Wrightonian  Society,  the  Societies  received  from  the  Board  of 
Education  the  books  belonging  to  the  district  school  libraries,  Nos. 
1  and  2.  No.  1,  consisting  of  sixty-three  volumes,  fell  to  the  Phila- 
delphian  Society.  Only  a  few  of  the  sixty -three  volumes  are 
valuable.  Among  them  were  Macaulay's  History  of  England,  four 
volumes;  Irving's  Works,  four  volumes;  Bayard  Taylor's  Travels, 
and  Webster's  Unabridged  Dictionary.  In  every  possible  way  the 
members  sought  donations.  Members  pledged  themselves  to  give 
books.  Committees  were  appointed  to  solicit  books,  and  in  May, 
1863,  an  exhibition  was  given  in  Phoenix  Hall,  Bloomington,  for  the 
purpose  of  raising  funds  to  purchase  books.  Among  the  many 
donors  is  the  name  of  Senator  Trumbull.  A  catalogue  of  books  was 
printed,  in  connection  with  the  Wrightonians,  at  a  cost  of  $84.  The 
catalogues  were  disposed  of  at  the  rate  of  twenty-five  cents  each, 
and  as  none  are  left  to  tell  the  story,  they  must  have  been  in 
demand.  The  number  of  books  reported  in  the  library  at  that  time 
was  eight  hundred  and  fifty-six.  We  now  have  about  three  hundred 


STATE    NORMAL    (IXIVERSITY.  113 

less    than    that  number.       Formerly    the    office    of    librarian   was 
important,  for  he  received  a  salary. 

In  the  early  times  it  was  customary  to  elect  honorary  members. 
Every  one  who  took  an  active  interest  in  the  University  received  an 
honorary  membership,  and  for  the  honor  conferred  it  was  expected 
that  in  times  of  great  need,  from  one  dollar  to  ten  dollars  would  be 
forthcoming.  When  necessary,  taxes  were  imposed  on  the  members, 
from  five  cents  to  a  dollar.  Sometimes  only  the  gentlemen  were  taxed. 
The  strength  of  the  Societies  has  alternated.  There  was  formerly 

treat  strife  between  them.      The  members  of  one  Society  were  not 
xmd  in  the  halls  of  the  other  for  months  at  a  time. 

"At  the  contest,  in  1868,  the  Wrightonians  had  a  very  strong 
quartette  of  male  voices.  We  called  them  'the  four  pirates.'  The  ques- 
tion of  the  hour  was,  What  can  we  do  to  beat  them  ?  We  finally  hit 
upon  the  plan  of  choosing  two  young,  sweet-looking  girls  to  sing 
against  them.  The  plan  worked  successfully,  as  the  judges,  in  those 
days,  were  men.  They  could  not  decide  against  the  girls,  and  we 
swept  the  board.  The  folks  on  the  other  side  always  claimed  that  we 
bought  the  judges." 

The  Societies  used  regularly  to  have  a  union  exhibition  at  the  end 
of  the  winter  term,  and  a  union  lecture  at  the  end  of  the  spring  term. 
They  had  a  picnic  each  spring  in  the  grove  between  here  and  the 
standpipe.  They  had  an  annual  custom  in  connection  with  the  school 
as  a  whole,  of  serenading  the  teachers.  They  would  hire  the  Bloom- 
ington  band  at  a  large  expense,  and  follow  it  around  to  each  teacher's 
house.  One  summer,  as  usual,  the  faculty  were  requested  to  retire 
from  the  assembly-room,  so  that  arrangements  might  be  made  for  the 
serenade.  The  usual  motion  was  carried,  and  the  serenade  committee 
appointed,  when  some  one  moved  an  amendment  to  the  motion,  sup- 
porting it  by  a  vigorous  speech.  Times  were  hard;  it  would  cost  forty 
dollars  to  hire  the  band  to  come  out,  and  it  was  a  tiresome  tramp  to 
follow  it  all  over  town  in  the  night.  They  could  effect  a  great  saving 
by  hiring  a  big  wagon  and  taking  the  faculty  to  the  band's  head- 
quarters, where  they  could  be  senenaded  at  one-third  the  expense.  He 
(supposed  to  be  Joseph  Carter)  was  followed  by  two  or  three  vigorous 
speakers,  cocked  and  primed  for  the  occasion,  and  through  their  efforts 
the  amendment  prevailed.  The  committee  on  arrangements  failed  to 
do  their  duty,  consequently  the  faculty  received  no  serenade. 

Without  relating  any  more  stories  concerning  the  school  at  large, 
let  us  return  to  the  subject  of  our  sketch.  In  1871  the  Philadelphia!! 
Society  stood  on  a  good  financial  basis.  Harmony  prevailed  among 
its  members,  and  the  barriers  and  obstructions  that  impeded  its  pro- 
gress were  rapidly  disappearing.  At  this  time  we  had  cash  on  hand 
to  the  amount  of  $50.97,  and  a  prospect  for  a  large  increase.  Times 
were  good,  and  everybody  Deemed  willing  to  contribute  freely  toward 
any  enterprise  with  a  noble  purpose.  Dues  were  raised  from  fifty 


114  HISTORY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

cents  to  one  dollar  per  term,  and  tickets  sold  like  government  bonds  at 
a  premium.  By  1872  we  had  an  abundance  of  wealth,  and  were 
enabled  to  purchase  new  curtains  and  a  beautiful  carpet.  With  these 
new  additions  our  hall  began  to  assume  the  appearance  of  a  royal 
manse,  and  we  were  very  anxious  to  make  it  a  model  of  perfection  and 
beauty;  but  after  due  consfderation,  we  banished  our  extravagant  notions 
and  applied  ourselves  to  business.  During  the  year  we  handled  no 
momentous  questions,  but  we  introduced  a  great  many  novelties. 
Burlesques,  exciting  tragedies,  comic  lectures,  beautiful  tableaux,  etc. , 
were  the  great  attractions.  Strangers  read  our  programmes  with 
protruding  eyes  and  gaping  mouths,  and  when  the  time  came  we 
usually  "  took  them  in  "  for  a  dime. 

In  1874  we  experienced  considerable  difficulty  in  the  management 
of  uninterested  parties,  who  were  at  times  inclined  to  interrupt  our 
exercises  by  loud  talking  and  ill-mannered  actions.  The  propriety  of 
adopting  a  ticket  system,  which  would  exclude  disorderly  persons,  was 
discussed  with  much  earnestness.  It  was  proposed  to  issue  as  many 
tickets  as  there  were  seats  in  the  hall,  and  to  give  them  only  to  respect- 
able people/  This  measure  failed  after  a  stubborn  fight,  but  it  was  the 
means  01  securing  our  present  ticket  system  (adopted  in  1877). 

Soon  after  settling  the  ticket  question,  we  became  involved  in  a 
spelling  war,  for  which  we  made  ample  preparation.  We  had  great 
faith  in  our  ability  to  conquer  words  and  inconsequence  of  this  we  wen; 
war-like,  and  ready  at  any  moment  to  meet  an  enemy.  The  anticipation 
of  a  battle  and  the  glory  that  was  to  follow,  fevered  us  with  excitement, 
and  when  the  mania  had  a  firm  hold,  we  received  word  from  our  neigh- 
bors, who  by  the  way  were  affected  likewise,  that  they  could  cure  our 
disease  on  the  homeopathic  principle.  The  result  was  a  contest.  AVe 
met  at  the  appointed  place  in  due  time,  and  tested  our  knowledge  of 
words.  Fortunately  for  us,  we  gained  a  victory  which  secured  for  us 
an  elegant  picture  and  a  good  deal  of  confidence. 

Having  conquered  the  "Wrights,"  we  pursued  the  even  tenor  of 
our  way  for  a  while,  unmolested  by  outside  factions.  But  this  calm,  it' 
such  it  may  be  called,  was  of  short  duration.  Many  of  our  most  active 
and  energetic  members  belonged  to  the  famous  "Liberal  Club,"  and 
they  succeeded  admirably  in  giving  prominence  to  their  thoughts. 
They  exercised  a  powerful  influence,  and  to  a  certain  degree  they  con- 
trolled our  finance  and  made  our  laws.  When  it  was  time  to  nominate 
a  candidate  for  the  presidency  in  the  spring  of  1875,  they  had  a  man 
selected  who  was  well  qualified  to  fill  the  office.  He  was  not  a  liberal 
in  his  views,  but  owing  to  the  friendly  relationship  that  existed  between 
him  and  different  members  of  the  club,  he  consented  to  be  their  candi- 
date. An  exciting  campaign  followed,  and  party  feeling  ran  high. 
Not  unfrequently  did  the  conciliatory  members  of  the  faculty  recom- 
mend measures  of  peace,  but  all  in  vain.  Both  parties  were  persistent, 
and  a  compromise  was  as  unfavorable  as  a  treaty.  Finally,  after  a  long 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  115 

ami  careful  canvass  the  votes  were  cast,  and  the  decision  announced. 
According  to  the  official  report,  the  liberals  had  a  majority.  The*Chris- 
tians,  however,  were  dissatisfied  with  the  result,  and  called  tor  an 
investigation.  The  examining  board  failed  to  discover  discrepancies  of 
a  serious  nature,  but  so  much  dissatisfaction  prevailed  that  it  was 
deemed  best  to  hold  a  new  election.  The  second  election  again  proved 
successful  for  the  liberals.  Their  candidate  received  a  hand><>me 
majority,  but,  unfortunately,  he  resigned  just  after  his  inauguration. 
The  history  of  the  "Liberal  Club"  receives  more  attention  in  our 
"chapter  on  reminiscences." 

After  the  "Liberal  Club  excitement"  had  cooled  down,  the  Society 
concluded  that  the  hall  was  in  a  condition  for  repairs.  It  was  never 
fully  determined  whether  this  was  due  to  the  faction  battle  or  not; 
nevertheless,  the  hall  was  thoroughly  repaired.  The  walls  and  ceiling 
were  artistically  frescoed  in  oil,  and  the  wood  work  received  a  fresh 
coat  of  paint.  The  expense  incurred  was  not  less  than  $215,  but  what 
was  that  to  a  band  of  loyal  "Phils,"  who  had  the  confidence  of  the 
public.  Our  entertainments  were  giving  universal  satisfaction,  and  the 
payment  of  so  small  a  debt  was  simply  a  question  of  time,  not  of 

i  rce. 

In  the  fall  of  1879,  we  purchased  a  new  piano,  costing  $250  and 
the  old  one.  One  year  from  the  above  date  the  Society  made  an 
investment  in  furniture.  We  purchased  three  costly  chairs  for  the 
convenience  of  the  president,  secretary,  and  critic.  Our  hall,  at 
present,  is  equal  in  splendor  to  any  of  its  kind  in  the  State.  The 
new  carpet  of  1881,  costing  over  $300,  the  richly  dyed  curtains 
swinging  from  the  arch,  the  beautiful  scenes  of  life  portrayed  by 
master  hands,  and  the  costly  chandeliers,  cast  in  a  model  of  rare 
design,  command  the  admiration  of  our  friends  and  the  respect  of 
our  rivals. 

Before  closing  this  brief  and  imperfect  history,  let  us  notice  an 
amendment  to  the  constitution  which  has  worked  with  good  results. 
Until  1881,  it  was  the  duty  of  the  president  to  arrange  and  publish  a 
programme  for  each  regular  meeting.  This  necessitated  much  time 
and  labor.  It  over-burdened  the  ambitious  student  who  worked  lor 
"marks"  and  "society  fame,"  consequently  a  change  was  necessary 
in  order  to  secure  good  talent  for  the  chair.  It  was  our  object  to 
make  the  office  one  of  honor.  With  this  intention,  we  appointed  a 
committee  of  three  to  revise  the  constitution.  After  long  delibera- 
tion, they  proposed  the  establishment  of  an  executive  board 
(consisting  of  the  vice-president,  acting  as  chairman,  and  two  direc- 
tors) whose  duty  it  was  to  solicit  exercises  for  the  meetings,  and  to 
report  to  the  president  of  the  Society  the  exercises  for  each  meeting 
previous  to  the  Wednesday  evening  preceding  said  meeting.  Accor- 
ding to  this  amendment,  wo  gained  our  object.  Everybody  seemed 
pleased  with  the  change,  so  we  incorporated  the  amendment  as  a  part 


116  HISTORY    OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

of  our  constitution.  At  each  regular  election  now  we  have  several 
aspiriitg  candidates  for  the  office  who  (according  to  their  campaign 
speeches)  are  willing  to  perform  the  duties  of  the  office  to  the  best  of 
their  ability. 

This  history  must  now  end,  incomplete  as  its  records  are.  We 
have  done  our  best  to  gather  the  facts  of  interest.  We  have  searched 
the  archives,  and  sought  for  treasures  in  the  secret  vaults,  some- 
times with  success,  sometimes  with  failure.  The  records,  though 
imperfectly  kept,  have  aided  us  in  our  work,  and  old  students  have 
generously  responded  to  our  call.  In  many  instances,  however,  we 
have  been  disappointed.  Those  who  could  have  given  us  valuable 
information  have  failed  to  do  so,  but  we  have  no  word  of  fault.  We 
are  content.  Old  Philadelphia  will  live  and  hold  her  sovereign 
sway.  The  historians  of  to-day  have  not  done  her  justice,  but  we 
trust  that  future  men,  with  ampler  means,  will  pay  her  a  more 
deserving  tribute.  With  bright  hopes  for  the  future,  and  kind 
wishes  for  her  friends,  we  say  adieu. 


WRIGHTONIAN  SOCIETY. 


The  following  address  was  delivered  in  the  Wrightonian  Hall, 
December  18,  1880.  Through  the  courtesy  of  J.  H.  Burnharn  it  is 
inserted  here:  It  was  my  fortune  to  be  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the 
Normal,  and  you  know  pioneers  are  a  privileged  class.  Hence,  while 
you  allow  me  the  pleasure  of  telling  stories,  please  have  the  kind- 
ness to  remember  that  in  matter  and  manner  the  Normal  pioneers 
are  not  to  be  criticised  by  the  strict  rules  of  modern  scholarship. 
The  Normal  institution  entered  upon  its  career  in  October,  is,') 7, 
at  Major's  Hall,  in  the  city  of  Bloomington.  Some  time  in  the 
course  of  the  first  few  months,  the  students  in  attendance  organized 
a  literary  society,  the  lineal  ancestor  of  the  present  Philadelphian 
Society.  During  the  winter,  this  Society  grew  and  prospered,  being, 
perhaps,  all  that  the  size  of  the  Normal  would  at  first  justify,  the 
number  of  pupils  amounting,  perhaps,  »to  seventy-five  or  eighty  at 
the  end  of  the  first  winter  term.  I  entered  the  Normal  at  the 
beginning  of  its  first  spring  term,  April,  1858,  in  company  with 
about  forty  students,  who  were  organized  into  classes  "D"  and  "E." 

At  the  close  of  school,  on  the  second  day  of  the  term,  the 
members  of  the  entering  classes  were  invited  to  one  of  the  class 
rooms,  where  they  were  told  that  the  time  had  come  to  organize  a 
new  literary  society.  The  principal  speakers  were  old  students,  who 
were,  or  had  been,  members  of  the  existing  Society.  There  were 
only  four  or  five  of  them,  and  as  the  entering  students  were,  as  yet, 
strangers  to  each  other  and  to  the  subject,  the  arguments  used  were 


STATE    NORMAL   TTNIVERSITY.  117 

mostly  furnished  by  the  older  members,  who  displayed  at  the  same 
time  their  want  of  appreciation,  to  say  the  very  least,  of  the  society 
privileges  which  they  had  been  enjoying.  Their  remarks  were  so 
ill-natured  that  some  of  the  entering  class  discovered  they  could  not 
rely  upon  these  representatives,  and  it  was  suggested  that  before 
organizing  a  new  society  it  would  be  well  for  all  to  attend  the 
existing  Society  at  its  next  meeting,  when  we  could  judge  whether 
it  would  be  advisable  to  take  steps  to  organize  another,  and  a  rival 
society.  This  idea  at  once  became  popular,  and  in  spite  of  all  that 
could  be  said  by  those  who  had  organized  the  meeting,  it  adjourned. 

Upon  the  following  Saturday,  some  of  the  new  students  took  a 
walk  from  Bloomington  to  the  new  Normal  building,  then  in  a  state 
of  practical  suspension — its  foundation  walls  only  were  erected,  and 
the  financial  panic  of  the  previous  year  had  apparently  given  the 
enterprise  its  eternal  quietus.  The  eye  of  faith  told  us  that  the  great 
State  of  Illinois  would,  sooner  or  later,  complete  the  building,  and  in 
imagination  we  could  almost  view  the  beautiful  structure  since 
erected  upon  that  foundation.  Some  one  in  the  company  possessed 
a  plan  of  the  proposed  building,  upon  which  the  two  Society  rooms 
were  shown  exactly  as  they  are  now  finished.  The  fact  that  here 
would  be  good  hails  for  two  literary  societies,  prepared  us  for  the 
part  we  subsequently  took,  and,  no  doubt,  proved  the  turning  point 
in  the  minds  of  some  who  were,  perhaps,  a  little  ambitious  of  organ- 
izing a  society  which  might  become  one  of  the  permanent  institutions 
of  one  of  the  earliest  Normal  Schools  in  the  great  west. 

It  was  the  bad  fortune  of  the  organization,  now  called  the  Phila- 
delphian  Society,  upon  its  first  meeting  in  the  spring  term  of  1858,  to 
make  a  very  poor  exhibition  of  its  literary  ability,  and  the  new  students 
were  so  much  disappointed  that  it  required  very  little  argument  to 
convince  the  majority,  that  classes  "D"  and  "E"  had  the  ability  to 
organize  and  carry  on  a  society  which  would  be,  at  least,  on  a  par  with 
the  organization  then  in  existence. 

Tradition  asserts  that  the  members  of  these  classes  were,  in  their 
own  estimation,  a  very  superior  class  of  beings.  Posterity  is  unable  to 
vindicate  the  great  claims  or  these  individuals,  but  it  should  be  remem- 
bered that  posterity  had  no  vote  at  that  particular  crisis,  and  hence  it 
was  easy,  at  the  adjourned  meeting  of  the  "D"  and  "E"  classes^  to 
pass  a  resolution  to  organize  a  new  literary  society.  It  was  at  first 
organized  as  the  "D  and  E"  Society,  and  it  is  unfortunate  that  your 
present  records  do  not  show  this  fact.  History  requires  me  to  stare 
that  our  by-laws  provided  for  the  admission  of  members  who  were  not 
of  our  classes,  and  we  actually  required  the  four  or  five  old  students — 
the  originators  of  our  enterprise — to  obtain  honorable  discharges  from 
the  old  Society  before  admission  to  the  new  organization.  This  being 
the  case,  they  were  not  eligible  to  office  at  the  first  election,  and  all 
positions  were  tilled  by  members  of  the  entering  da- 


1  1  S  HISTORY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

It  is  proper  to  state  that  the  two  Societies  were  at  this  time — and 
for  a  long  time  after — rivals,  contesting  for  existence,  and  that  the  best 
of  feeling  did  not  always  exist  between  their  members.  The  new 
organization  did  not  at  first  have  the  formal  consent  of  the  principal. 
He  allowed  it  to  organize  as  a  temporary  expedient,  and  often  explained 
that  the  time  might  soon  come  when  both  Societies  might  be  broken 
up,  and  when  two  new  institutions  might  be  organized  upon  an  entirely 
different  basis.  The  temper  and  spirit  shown  by  each  was  not  exactly 
such  as  he  wished,  and  lor  the  proper  development  of  the  Normal, 
he  was  of  the  opinion  something  different  must  be  attempted.  Thus 
matters  stood  during  the  spring  term  of  1858.  The  Philadelphians 
thoroughly  believed  their  organization  was  altogether  the  most  perma- 
nent, and  that  only  the  new  Society  was  in  any  danger  of  disruption. 
They  were  allowed  their  choice  of  evenings,  and  our  Society  used  the 
same  hall  on  the  night  which  they  rejected.  Instead  of  being  depressed 
by  this  little  circumstance,  the  elastic  public  spirit  of  the  new  Society 
declared  it  possessed  the  most  desirable  evening  of  the  week.  A  very 
laudable  degree  of  interest  was  shown  by  the  members  of  the  new 
Society.  There  was  a  zeal  and  ambition  unknown  in  the  other,  and  it 
was  not  long  before  we  could  discern  symptoms  that  the  ruling  powers 
were  disposed  to  treat  the  young  fledgling  as  being  almost  a  grown 
bird.  For  this  change  of  treatment  we  were  largely  indebted  to 
Simeon  Wright,  then  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Education,  who 
took  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  new  Society.  He  boldly 
advocated  our  right  to  live,  and  took  the  ground  that  we  were  entitled 
to  equal  rights  with  the  Philadelphians,  and  it  was  popularly  believed 
that  his  whole  influence  was  given  in  favor  of  the  continuance  of  our 
organization. 

At  first  our  by-laws  required  an  election  of  officers  every  four 
weeks.  P.  R.  Walker  was  the  first  president,  and  your  humble 
servant  was  the  first  secretary.  There  are  those  present  who  can 
appreciate  my  deep  mortification  at  being  compelled  to  take  this 
position.  No  other  person  would  accept;  my  excuse  of  poor  penman- 
ship being  considered  a  mere  pretext.  Being  determined  to  do  my 
whole  duty,  I  took  up  the  pen,  but  have  a  distinct  recollection  of 
receiving  no  ballots  for  the  office  at  the  next  election.  When  told 
that  our  first  record-book  is  now  lost,  I  confess  to  a  secret  satisfaction 
at  the  disappearance  of  such  formidable  evidence  against  my  penman- 
ship. Three  years  in  Normal  did  little  to  improve  my  handwriting, 
even  though  I  enjoyed  the  benefit  of  a  course  of  lessons  from 
Professor  Washington  Irving  Vescellius,  tlje  great  American  card 
writer,  who  taught  the  whole  school,  in  1860,  the  full  beauties  of  the 
"  shyrographic  curve."  Thus  you  see  one  illustration  of  the  peculiar 
advantages  enjoyed  by  the  pioneers  of  the  Normal. 

During  the  first  term  the  OleasteUus  was  started  and  named. 
Miss  Ross  was  the  first  editor,  and  was  instrumental  in  selecting  the 


STATK    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  I  I1.* 

name,  which  was  suggested,  I  think,  by  Mr.  E.  P.  Clark,  then 
principal  of  the  Bloomington  high  school.  I  think  we  devoted  more 
time  to  debate  than  is  given  at  present,  and  that  we  did  not  possess 
the  talent  to  carry  on  such  a  variety  of  exercises  as  you  are  able  to 
enjoy  at  present.  The  most  of  us  were  truly  pioneers,  having  never 
seen  a  literary  society  before.  At  that  time  we  obtained  no  benefit 
from  the  teachers  of  the  institution,  who  did  not  join  the  literary 
societies  until  1860,  when,  by  agreement  of  the  faculty,  they  were 
equally  apportioned  to  the  two  organizations. 

For  fear  of  foundering  upon  the  rock  of  parliamentary  discord, 
and  with  a  shrewd  desire  to  acquire  the  confidence  of  the  principal, 
we  provided  a  by-law,  under  which,  in  case  of  disputes  within  our 
Society,  we  would  agree  that  our  "umpire"  should  be  the  principal 
of  the  Normal.  I  believe  he  was  never  appealed  to,  and  eventually, 
becoming  a  little  more  confident  of  our  internal  harmony,  we 
repealed  this  provision.  Before  reaching  this  stage,  however,  we 
had  demonstrated  our  disposition  to  maintain  good  order  at  our 
meetings.  The  first  election  contest  in  our  ranks  grew  out  of  the 
determination  of  a  few  resolute  members  to  maintain  good  order. 
Our  meetings  being  in  the  city,  free  to  the  general  public,  and  not 
necessarily  attended  by  our  teachers,  became  the  resort  of  triflers 
and  idlers,  and  threatened  to  become  unmanageable.  The  election 
of  a  strict  disciplinarian  for  president  came  near  being  lost,  and  was 
only  carried  by  very  close  campaigning,  and  the  bringing  out  of  every 
possible  law-and-order  voter.  A  certain  energetic  member,  who  now 
lives  near  the  Rocky  Mountains,  saved  the  day  by  escorting-  to  the 
meeting  an  extraordinary  number  of  woman  suffragists.  As  he 
brought  them  separately,  the  trouble  did  not  begin  till  the  meeting 
adjourned,  when  he  suddenly  found  his  contract  rather  unprofitable. 
I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  literary  work  of  the  Society  was  more 
easily  performed  during  this  first  term  than  it  was  a  year  or  two  later. 
At  that  early  day,  no  standard  of  excellence  had  been  formed,  and 
we  were  too  easily  contented,  perhaps,  and  yet  our  simple  perform- 
ances were  a  severe  strain  upon  a  few  of  the  most  active  members. 
These  had  enlisted  for  the  contest,  and  preferred  to  succeed  in  the 
Society,  even  if  they  failed  in  the  class  room,  and  it  was  no.  uncom- 
mon event  for  these  persons  to  deliberately  accept  low  class-standing 
rather  than  see  the  new  Society  fail  of  surpassing  the  standard  shown 
by  its  neighbor.  The  action  and  reaction  being  equal,  it  is  probable 
these  strenuous  efforts  exerted  a  most  beneficial  effect  upon  both  of 
the  literary  Societies,  and  that  the  influence  of  those  early  times  has 
not  yet  wholly  disappeared.  Among  the  most  active  and  useful 
early  members,  I  can  give  you  the  names  of  several  now  occurring  to 
my  mind.  There  was  the  conscientious  and  devoted  P.  R.  Walker, 
who  gave  days  and  nights  of  unceasing  labor,  and  whose  interest  in 
your  Society  is  of  an  undying  nature.  W.  H.  Avery,  a  talented 


120 


HISTORY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 


young  man,  was  the  most  fluent  debater  of  our  early  times,  and 
contributed  much  towards  onr  success.  H.  J.  Button,  II.  C. 
Prevost,  L.  D.  Bovee,  James  R.  Fyffe  and  James  H.  Bailey 
were  among  our  best  members.  Of  the  ladies,  there  were  Misses 
Town,  Carter,  Clark,  Dennison,  Ross,  McKinstry,  Collom,  Ives, 
Boughton,  and  many  others  who  assisted,  by  their  pens,  their 
voices,  and  their  presence,  and  who  are  entitled  to  your  remem- 
brance. I  have  here  a  printed  list  of  all  who  were  members  at  the 
close  of  the  year  1858,  including  the  large  number  who  entered  in 
September,  and  have  indicated  the  names  of  all  who  were  charter 


James  II.  Bailey,* 
L.  D.  Bovee,* 
J.  H.  Burnham,* 
J.  R.  Fyffe,* 
William  T.  Law,* 
John  B.  Miller, 
Hermes  S.  Payn,* 
Byron  Sheldon,* 
Rufus  W.  Angell,* 
P.  R.  Walker,* 

P.  R.  Butler, 
Ann  R.  Collom,* 
Fannie  S.  Dennison,* 
Julia  A.  Ives,* 
Sarah  E.  Town,* 
Susan  II.  Wright, 
Emily  A.  Carter,* 
Martha  J.  McKinstry, 
Amanda  O.  Noyes, 
Anna  B.  Roberts, 


MEMBERS: 

GENTLEMEN. 

John  P.  Curtiss, 
George  B.  Robinson, 
E.  Aaron  Clove, 
C.  J.  Gill, 
K  M.  Carter,* 
Edwin  B.  Fiske,* 
H.  C.  Prevost,* 
Robert  L.  Duncan, 
H.  B.  Norton, 

LADIES. 

Phebe  W.  Jones, 
Kate  Zorger, 
Sarah  E.  Fell,* 
Mary  E.  Moore, 
Caroline  Moore, 
Lydia  M.  Young, 
Mary  Brigham,* 
*Lizzie  Wakefield,* 
Hattie  E.  Hoover, 


William  II.  A  very,* 
Lewis  P.  Cleveland,* 
W.  Duncan, 
Harvey  J.  Dutton,* 
Duncan  G.  Ingraham,* 
J.  L.  Spaulding,* 
L.  L.  Lightner,* 
John  Walton, 
K  D.  Stevens,* 


Mat  tie  Havens,* 
S.  Stewart, 
Jennie  Bryant, 
Helen  Ross,* 
Martha  L.  Fay,* 
J.  McCoy, 
Ellen  L  Boughton,* 
Lizzie  Clarkson, 
Mary  J.  Scoggan.* 


Our  officers  were  at  first  chosen  .for  one  month,  and  could  you 
examine  that  lost  record  you  would  be  surprised  to  see  the  care  and 
facility  with  which  the  honors  were  distributed.  I  was  soon 
promoted  to  the  position  of  vice-president,  and  while  filling  that 
office  was  called  upon  to  preside  at  a  very  critical  period.  Our  name, 
that  of  the  "D  and  E  Society,"  was  found  inconvenient,  and  when 
compared  with  the  dignified  title  of  our  rival,  suffered  very  materially. 
Besides  it  was  seen  that  the  members  of  D  and  E  classes  would  some 
day  pass  to  the  upper  grades.  Brains  were  busy  devising  a  name 
which  should  out-shine  or  out-sound  the  Philadelphians ;  but  for 


STATK    NORMAL    UNIVKIISITY.  121 

weeks  we  wrestled  with  the  problem  in  vain.  Our  knowledge  of  the 
dead  languages  was  too  limited  to  devise  an  original  word,  and  we 
fell  back  to  tirst  principles,  and  declared  that  the  genius  of  the 
Normal  required  an  expressive  name  of  English  origin.  Name  after 
name  was  proposed  and  rejected  in  our  secret  conclaves,  and  we 
were  fast  approaching  serious  disagreement,  and  were  fearing  our 
best  efforts  might  end  in  ridiculous  failure.  At  this  juncture  some 
one  of  our  number,  E.  Aaron  Gove,  if  I  remember  rignrly,  who  well 
knew  of  the  great  assistance  rendered  us  by  Simeon  Wright,  and 
who  was  well-informed  as  to  that  gentleman's  interest  in  our  welfare, 
suggested  that  we  name  our  Society  in  his  honor.  Mr.  Wright,  as 
you  all  know,  had  been  one  of  the  earliest  friends  of  the  Normal. 
ILc  had  traveled  all  over  Illinois  as  agent  of  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association  ;  had  addressed  public  audiences ;  had  exerted 
himself  to  the  utmost  to  mould  public  sentiment  in  favor  of  a  State 
Normal  School,  and  when  the  institution  was  founded,  was  selected 
as  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Education.  In  our  Society's 
early  struggle  for  existence,  he  had  spoken  words  of  encourage- 
ment, and  unless  we  were  entirely  misinformed,  he  had  influenced 
the  president  of  the  Normal,  Ch-arles  E.  Hovey,  to  "let  the  boys  go 
on  with  their  experiment."  Hence,  in  our  perplexity,  the  proposition 
to  call  the  "D  and  E  Society"  the  "Wrightonian,"  found  many 
warm  supporters.  In  order  to  change  our  name,  a  by-law  must  be 
amended,  and  the  proposition  laid  on  the  table  one  week.  During 
this  week  the  amendment  was  discussed  and  grew  in  favor.  When 
the  vote  was  taken,  it  was  my  fortune  to  be  called  to  the  chair  in  the 
sickness  or  absence  of  the  president.  There  were  eleven  votes  in 
favor  of  the  proposed  name,  out  of  seventeen  members  who  were 
present.  Our  constitution  required  a  two-thirds  vote  to  change  a 
by-law,  and  in  the  excitement  of  the  occasion  I  decided  that  eleven 
was  two-thirds  of  seventeen,  and  that  the  amendment  was  adopted. 
Historical  accuracy  requires  the  statement  that  at  the  moment  I 
reflected  that  even  if  mathematical  accuracy  required  eleven  and 
one-third  votes,  that  third  of  a  vote  was  an  impossible  quantity,  and 
I  was  doing  no  violence  to  the  rights  of  voters,  even  if  I  was 
making  a  bad  ruling  for  one  who  was  a  little  proud  of  his  class- 
standing  in  mathematics.  Inasmuch  as  the  six  'members  who  had 
voted  no  were  tolerably  sure  they  were  legally  and  mathematically 
entitled  to  the  right  of  defeating  the  amendment,  they  promptly 
appealed  from  the  decision  of  the  chair.  The  whole  matter  was 
discussed,  and  I  was  given  an  opportunity  to  revoke  my  decision. 
By  this  time  I  had  discovered  that  the  question  of  a  name  was  very 
difficult  to  manage,  and  that  it  should  be  settled  in  some  manner  as 
speedily  as  possible,  and  it  occurred  to  me  that  if  a  majority  sustained 
my  decision,  the  Society  would  be  permanently  named,  as  I  saw 
that  even  if  we  failed  of  possessing  the  fraction  of  a  vote  required, 


122  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

we  at  least  had  the  matter  where  a  majority  held  the  power  to 
settle  the  question  by  upholding  my  decision,  and  I  insisted  on 
allowing  it  to  stand  as  given.  As  a  majority  voted  to  sustain  me, 
there  was  no  help  for  the  minority,  and  they  very  soon  accepted  the 
situation,  although  they  afterward,  very  properly,  asked  me  very 
exasperating  questions  in  mental  arithmetic. 

As  the  summer  term  drew  near  its  end,  and  plans  were  being 
discussed  for  the  entertainment  of  the  public  at  the  end  of  the  first 
academic  year,  our  principal  proposed  a  joint  contest  meeting  between 
the  two  Societies.  The  exercises  consisted  of  music,  and  a  paper 
from  each  Society,  and  a  debate.  The  latter  was  decided  by  judges, 
while  the  other  exercises  were  left  to  the  decision  of  the  general 
public.  Not  being  considered  a  very  ornamental  debater,  as  I  had 
already  been  found  lacking  as  a  secretary,  I  was  not  chosen  as  one  of 
the  disputants,  and  that  labor  was  thrown  upon  W.  II.  Avery  and 
P.  R.  Walker.  Just  twenty-four  hours  before  the  time  appointed,  for 
the  public  meeting,  Avery  positively  declined  the  position,  although 
he  had  spent  over  a  week  in  preparation.  No  one  else  would  take 
the  position,  and,  as  in  the  case  of  the  first  of  the  organization,  my 
assurance  and  audacity  were  equal  to  any  emergency,  and  I  accepted 
the  place.  My  preliminary  rehearsal  before  Mr.  Walker,  in  the 
shades  of  Blooming  Grove,  was  a  dismal  failure,  and  my  colleague's 
heart  failed  him  entirely.  For  once  it  was  evident  his  high  estimate 
of  my  versatility  was  entirely  at  fault,  as  he  was  in  favor  of 
abandoning  the  contest.  I  thought  the  audience  was  entitled  to  the 
privilege  of  seeing  us  defeated,  and  that  the  performance  should 
proceed  as  per  programme.  In  some  unaccountable  manner,  it 
happened  that  my  public  rehearsal  was  rather  better  than  my  failure 
under  the  trees,  and  the  Wrightonians  were  not  specially  disgraced, 
as  they  won  the  debate,  and  closed  the  term  with  flying  colors. 

The  important  question  of  the  admission  of  new  members  at  the 
beginning  of  the  next  year  was  uppermost  in  the  minds  of  the 
leading  members  of  the  Wrightonian  Society.  Very  quietly  they 
formed  their  plans,  and  began  to  lay  wires  to  secure,  during  vacation, 
the  best  of  the  new  members  who  might  attend  in  September.  Our 
efforts  during  vacation,  and  at  the  beginning  of  the  new  year,  were 
so  successful  that  we  were  about  to  secure  a  very  large  majority  of 
the  new  students,  and  were  in  a  fair  way  to  deal  a  terrible  blow  to 
our  rivals,  when  a  new  rule  was  promulgated — that  of  alphabetically 
dividing  the  entering  class,  which  ingenious  device  is,  I  believe,  still 
in  existence.  Chagrined  and  disappointed,  we  were  forced  to  acquiesce, 
though  there  would  have  been  a  tremendous  satisfaction  in  showing 
our  success  in  proselyting.  Again  your  narrator  will  boldly  introduce 
his  own  experience,  and  again  will  you  perhaps  draw  the  conclusion 
that  he  should  be  ashamed  to  expose  his  actions  to  the  light  of  day, 
even  if  twenty  years  and  more  have  elapsed.  It  was  my  fortune  to 


STATE    NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  123 

fill  the  -presidential  office  at  tlie  time  of  drawing  these  new  members, 
in  September,  1858,  while  Hon.  Luke  II.  Hite,  now  of  East  St.  Louis, 
was  tine  Philadelphia!!  president.  There  was  one  very  talented  student 
in  the  entering  class, — Henry  B.  Norton,  of  Ogle  County, — now,  as 
you  all  know,  one  of  the  faculty  of  the  State  Normal  in  California. 
11  is  early  Mend,  P.  R.  Walker,  one  of  our  most  valuable  members, 
had  filled  his  mind  with  a  desire  to  join  the  Wrightonians,  and  those 
of  us  who  knew  his  peculiar  talents,  were  anxious  to  secure  the  new 
member.  I  procured  a  list  of  the  names  of  the  entering  class,  and 
exercised  my  best  ingenuity  in  arranging  them  in  such  alphabetical 
order  that  Mr.  Norton  would  fall  to  our  side,  but  my  best  efforts  were 
unequal  to  the  occasion.  With  a  sad  heart  but  deceitful  countenance, 
I  took  the  precaution  to  request  Mr.  Hite  to  meet  me  in  private,  where 
we  could  draw  the  members  without  interference  from  any  of  our 
associates.  As  I  expected,  we  lost  Norton,  for  whom  I  would  have 
given  two  dozen  ordinary  members.  Before  separating,  I  tried  one 
last  expedient.  Norton  was  my  room-mate,  and  I  told  Hite  he  was 
very  anxious  to  belong  to  our  Society,  and  that  a  young  man  named 
Kestcr,  whose  sister  was  a  Philadelphian,  was,  I  thought,  anxious  to 
be  exchanged  from  the  Wrightonians.  I  proposed  we  make  the  trade. 
"  What  kind  of  a  fellow  is  Norton?"  queried  Hite.  I  gave  my  room- 
mate a  good  recommendation,  but  did  not  see  any  call  for  telling  the 
whole  truth.  Just  at  that  moment  I  pointed  him  out,  crossing  the 
hall  with  his  well-known  "kangaroo"  stride.  "What!  Is  he  that 
tall,  gauky-looking  fellow?  You  may  have  him."  Thanking  Mr. 
Hite  very  kindly,  I  soon  proposed  we  report  our  list  to  the  principal, 
and  kept  the  secret  for  some  months,  but  before  the  beginning  of  the 
next  term  it  leaked  out,  and  such  exchanges  were  afterwards  rare, 
or  impossible. 

Our  Society  made  good  use  of  all  its  new  members,  but  it  is 
hardly  saying  too  much  to  assert  that  this  one  acquisition  gave  us  the 
best  society  man  that  ever  entered  the  Normal  University.  During 
the  second  term  of  our  existence,  we  were  officially  recognized  as  the 
equal  of  the  older  Society.  Both  Societies  were  then  obliged  to  use 
the  same  hall,  which  was  the  school  room,  but  we  were  allowed  our 
choice  of  Friday  or  Saturday  night  for  one  term,  while  at  the  next 
term  the  other  Society  took  its  choice,  and  so  on,  alternating,  until 
the  completion  of  the  new  building. 

During  the  spring  term  of  1858,  our  library  was  founded  by 
Simeon  Wright,  who  secured  for  each  Society  the  donation  of  one  of 
Moore's  district  school  libraries,  of  over  one  hundred  volumes  each, 
with  five  library  cases.  He  also  donated,  personally,  quite  a  number 
of  valuable  books,  so  that  from  the  very  first  our  library  was  consid- 
ered the  best  of  the  two,  although  in  this,  as  in  my  other  statements, 
it  may  be  proper  to  bear  in  mind  that  twenty-two  years  have  not 
proved  sufficient  to  dampen  the  ardor  of  an  original  Wrightonian, 


124  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

and  I  may  occasionally  exaggerate.  During  the  whole  of  the  second 
year  both  Societies  made  considerable  progress.  Both  were  fortunate 
in  possessing  a  membership  that  took  pride  in  striving  after  the 
highest  possible  excellence.  The  Philadelphians  were  the  most 
quiet.  They  were  less  ambitious  than  their  rivals.  While  the 
VVrightonians  were  less  tractable,  they  were  the  most  enthusiastic. 
They  were  the  most  thoroughly  imbued  with  a  love  for  their 
Society,  and  appeared  to  have  the  highest  appreciation  of  the  design 
and  scope  of  the  Normal  institution.  To  us,  it  seemed  as  if  the 
Philadelphians  disliked  change,  even  if  in  the  direction  of  progress. 
To  our  rivals,  we  seemed  too  ready  to  try  experiments,  and  too 
willing  to  trust  our  own  untried  judgment.  I  have  no  doubt  that  both 
were  partly  right,  and  partly  wrong.  In  the  progress  of  time  it  is 
natural  that  the  two  Societies  should  lose  many  of  their  distinctive 
traits,  and  they  are  now,  perhaps,  more  nearly  alike  than  at  the  time 
of  which  I  am  writing. 

The  Wrightonians  never  ceased  plotting  for  the  supremacy,  and 
at  the  close  of  the  summer  term  of  1859,  found  themselves  once 
more  ahead  of  their  antagonists.  They  decided  that  the  annual 
examination  should  be  signalized  by  some  event  besides  a  Society 
contest,  and  fixed  upon  a  lecture  before  their  Society,  and  the  whole 
institution,  as  one  of  the  events  of  the  last  week  of  the  year.  They 
therefore  very  quietly  secured  Phoenix  Hall,  and  engaged  Benjamin 
F.  Taylor,  then  editor  of  the  Chicago  Evening  Journal,  and  a  poet 
and  lecturer  of  some  considerable  note,  to  give  a  public  free  lecture, 
to  which  should  be  invited  the  Board  of  Education,  the  Philadelphian 
Society,  as  well  as  the  general  public.  When  our  plans  were  fully 
matured,  we  found,  to  our  surprise,  that  the  president,  Mr.  Ilovey, 
refused  his  consent.  He  declared  we  had  carried  the  spirit  of  rivalry 
too  far;  that  were  this  lecture  allowed,  the  Philadelphians  would  be 
made  to  appear  before  the  public  in  a  humiliating  position,  and  that 
he  was  not  sure  whether  the  Wrightonians  cared  most  for  the  merit 
of  the  lecture,  or  for  the  other  feature  of  the  event.  It  was  in  vain 
we  urged  that  we  had  engaged  the  hall  and  the  lecturer.  The  matter 
must  stop.  He,  however,  proposed  that  if  we  would  join  with  the 
Philadelphians,  he  would  engage  that  Society  would  unite,  and  that 
upon  that  basis  the  lecture  might  proceed.  With  some  reluctance  we 
consented,  and  when  it  was  learned  that  our  rival's  treasury  was 
unprepared  for  the  sudden  call,  and  that  it  would  be  in  our  debt  for 
some  months,  this  little  circumstance,  together  with  the  satisfaction 
of  having  inaugurated  an  important  custom,  gave  our  society 
leaders  all  the  credit  they  could  reasonably  desire.  This  lecture  at 
the  close  of  the  summer  term,  was  kept  up  for  years,  until  other 
exercises  more  important  occupied  all  the  evenings  at  the  disposal  of 
the  faculty. 

In  September,  1860,  the  new  building  was  partially  prepared  for 


STATI:  NOU.MAL  rxivKusiTY.  125 

occupancy,  and  the  Society's  meetings  were  held  in  whatever  room 
was  most  convenient,  migrating  from  place  to  place  until  midwinter, 
when  it  took  possession  of  its  present  quarters.  During  this  first 
term  at  Normal,  many  of  the  students  boarded  in  Bloomington,  and 
the  Society  meetings  were  with  great  difficulty  sustained,  again 
throwing  a  severe  strain  upon  the  few  energetic  and  ambitious 
leaders  who  had  from  the  beginning  known  no  such  word  as  failure. 
The  present  hall  was  dedicated  January  24,  1861,  at  which  time 
an  original  ode  was  one  feature  of  the  occasion,  a  copy  of  which  I 
have  furnished  your  president.  The  event  was  one  of  the  proudest 
of  our  history,  and  our  feelings  on  that  occasion  can  be  better 
imagined  than  described. 

A  band  of  workers,  true  and  tried, 

In  learning's  toilsome  way, 
We've  walked  together,  side  by  side 

Through  many  a  changing  day ; 
And  hostile  forces  have  essayed, 

With  labor  ever  vain. 
Our  happy  union  to  invade 

And  break  the  clasping  chain. 

Chorus : 
Then,  comrades,  linking  hand  in  hand, 

A  joyful  chorus  swell, 
In  honor  of  the  gallant  band 

That  each  has  loved  so  well. 

But  now  upon  our  waiting  eyes 

A  brighter  star  has  shone, 
Which  points  to  where  our  pathway  lies 

Through  future  years  unknown; 
And  all  that  coming  road  seems  bright 

With  sunshine,  song,  and  flowers, 
As  joyfully  we  come  to-night 

To  greet  these  festal  hours. 

Chorus: 
So,  brothers,  sisters,  gather  all, 

A  bright  and  smiling  throng, 
And  dedicate  our  temple  hall 

With  joyful  swelling  song. 

May  mental  treasures  evermore 

Be  poured  upon  its  shrine; 
May  might  and  triumph,  as  of  yore, 

Upon  its  banners  shine. 
And  when  this  happy  season  's  fled, 

The  parting  hour  draws  near, — 
When  strangers  in  these  halls  must  tread 

And  fill  our  places  here, 

Chorus: 
Again  we'll  gather,  hand  in  hand, 

Our  parting  song  to  swell, 
In  memory  of  the  gallant  band 
That  each  has  loved  so  well. 
January  2i,  1881. 


126  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

At  that  time  the  library  shelves  which  you  now  possess,  though 
drawn  upon  the  plan  of  the  building,  were  still  unfinished,  and 
rumor  declared  that  the  want  of  funds  would  compel  the  building 
committee  to  leave  these  necessary  adjuncts  out  of  our  new  hall,  and 
this  rumor  had  an  important  bearing  upon  the  circumstance  which  I 
now  relate.  Our  library  books,  as  well  as  the  Philadelphians,' 
remained  in  the  district  school  library  case,  in  which  they  were 
presented  two  years  before,  and  were  situated  in  one  of  the  lower 
halls  of  the  building.  Sometime  in  the  month  of  January,  1861, 
the  acting  president  of  the  institution,  who,  by  the  way,  is  not  now 
a  member  of  your  faculty,  gave  an  order  to  the  presidents  of  the  two 
Societies  to  transport  the  books,  with  their  cases,  to  the  new  society 
rooms.  Fearing  that  if  this  were  done,  the  new  library  cases  might 
never  be  finished,  the  two  presidents  counseled  together  and  quietly 
resolved  to  ignore  the  authority  of  the  acting  president,  and  to  take 
the  position  that  they  were  not  to  be  ordered,  as  presidents,  to 
perform  any  labor  which  properly  devolved  upon  the  janitor  of  the 
building.  This  position  was  interpreted  as  being  contemptuous 
insubordination,  an  interpretation  which  impartial  history  compels  me 
to  admit  was  one  part  correct.  A  peremptory  order  for  the  removal 
of  the  library  cases  was  followed  by  silent  inaction  on  the  part  of  the 
presidents,  and  by  a  threat  of  throwing  the  books  out  of  the  window 
on  the  part  of  the  acting  president.  At  this  juncture  of  affairs, 
several  innocent  members  of  each  Society,  ignorant  of  the  motives 
of  their  presidents,  performed  the  required  duty,  but  too  late  to 
save  the  two  officials  from  the  wrath  of  offended  majesty,  as  the 
next  morning  they  were  publicly  suspended  from  the  Normal 
University.  The  Wrightonians,  with  the  impulsive  promptness 
for  which  they  were  then  famous,  called  a  special  meeting  imme- 
diately and  appointed  a  committee  to  report  at  the  next  meeting. 
This  committee  prepared  a  report,  reciting  the  affront  which  had 
been  put  upon  their  Society,  and  the  attempt  to  disgrace  their 
president,  by  intimation,  reflected  upon  the  acting  president  of  the 
Normal,  and  ended  with  a  hearty  endorsement  of  the  Wrightonian 
Society's  president,  who  could  but  feel  that  his  position  was  fully 
sustained.  No  action  was  taken  by  the  Philadelphians,  and  their 
president  was  left  to  guess  at  the  estimation  of  his  associates.  In  a 
few  days  both  presidents  were  restored  by  C.  E.  Hovey,  the 
president  of  the  Normal,  to  their  former  standing  in  the  school, 
but  the  trouble  did  not  end  here.  The  teachers  of  the  Normal, 
now  called  professors,  were  equally  divided  between  the  two 
literary  Societies,  a  proceeding  which  dates  from  the  early  part 
of  1860.  The  teacher  who  had  suspended  the  presidents  concluded 
that  the  vote  of  the  Wrightgnians,  sustaining  their  presiding  officer, 
was  of  such  a  rebellious  nature  that  no  member  of  the  faculty  could, 
consistently,  retain  his  place  in  the  Society,  and  he  demanded  that 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  127 

they  withdraw  from  the  Wrightonian  Society,  or  compel  it  to 
expunge  the  proceedings  from  the  records.  By  this  time  the 
excitement  ran  high,  and  a  majority  of  this  Society,  acting  upon 
their  own  impulses,  would  cheerfully  have  bid  good-bye  to  the 
professors,  and  retained  their  resolutions  and  independence;  but 
cooler  heads  and  wiser  counsels  prevailed.  Dr.  J.  Little,  now  of 
Bloomington,  was  the  Philadelphian  president  at  this  crisis,  and  your 
humble  servant  was  the  other.  I  at  once  besought  the  Society  to 
expunge  the  record,  declaring  that  it  had  already  done  far  more  in 
my  behalf  than  I  deserved,  and  requested  that  action  be  taken 
which  would  leave  the  faculty  at  liberty  to  remain  in  our  ranks. 
The  matter  was  settled  by  cutting  out  the  leaf  containing  the 
obnoxious  resolutions,  and  presenting  it  to  me  with  great  formality, 
on  the  ground  that  in  some  future  emergency  I  might  need  the 
document  to  establish  my  reputation  if  assailed  by  malice  or  ill-will. 
This  record,  perhaps  the  only  official  page  of  your  early  history  now 
in  existence,  is  still  preserved  by  me  with  great  care  and  affection. 
It  is  perhaps  needless  to  add  that  twenty  years  of  active  life  have  as 
yet  presented  no  crisis  where  the  document  has  possessed  any  moral 
or  financial  value  to  its  owner,  or  that  the  discussions  or  incidents  of 
those  exciting  times  compelled  the  finishing  of  these  library  shelves 
according  to  the  original  plan. 

These  excitements  and  diversions  brought  out  the  full  zeal  and 
energy  of  a  body  of  active  members.  Pride  and  ambition  conspired 
to  build  up  a  love  for  the  Society  that  has  never  been  excelled. 
Greater  literary  ability  has,  no  doubt,  since  been  witnessed  here,  but 
no  greater  devotion  to  the  cause.  I  will  give  two  more  illustrations, 
which  are  in  the  nature  of  valuable  history,  going  to  show  this 
devotion.  In  the  spring  of  1861,  in  order  to  add  to  the  library,  we 
formed  a  literary  club,  which  met  at  private  houses.  The  gentlemen 
were  required  to  pay  an  admittance  fee  of  five  dollars,  either  in  such 
books  as  the  library  needed,  taken  on  a  valuation  fixed  by  a  com- 
mittee, or  in  cash,  while  the  ladies  gave  three  dollars,  upon  the  same 
terms  and  conditions.  This  society,  or  club,  had  no  written  consti- 
tution or  by-laws.  Its  principal  officer  was  called  the  "tycoon,"  and 
possessed  absolfite  power.  He  was  the  constitution,  limited  by  one 
single  condition,  which  was,  that  at  any  time  the  club  might,  by  a 
majority  vote,  depose  this  official  and  order  the  election  of  his 
successor.  Prof.  L.  H.  Potter  was  the  first  tycoon,  and  so  admirably 
did  he  manage  the  club  that  no  notice  was  ever  given  of  a  new 
election.  The  meetings  of  this  society,  all  held  at  private  residences, 
were,  to  my  mind,  the  most  delightful  and  valuable  gatherings  I  ever 
attended.  In  addition  to  the  social  and  literary  advantages  gained, 
our  library  received  an  addition  of  over  one  hundred  much-needed 
volumes  of  just  the  books  we  desired,  and  but  for  the  outbreak  of 
the  civil  war,  and  the  diversions  and  dispersions  of  the  times,  it  is 


128  IIJSTOKY    "!•'    THE    ILLINOIS 

probable  that  the  impulse  then  given  to  the  growth  of  your  library 
would  have  continued  until  the  present  time,  and  resulted  in  State 
appropriations  in  aid  of  the  Society  libraries,  or  in  their  growth  and 
upbuilding  by  other  means.  It  must  be  admitted  that  the  Society 
libraries  have  come  nearer  being  failures  than  is  pleasant  to  the 
contemplation  of  the  pioneers  of  the  Normal. 

Near  the  close  of  the  spring  term  of  1861,  while  all  our  efforts 
were  being  given  to  class  study,  Society  work,  and  to  the  library 
effort  before  mentioned,  a  few  of  the  most  active  members  were 
startled  to  learn  that  the  Philadelphians,  whom  we  had  apparently  so 
far  surpassed,  who  were  unable  to  inaugurate  any  library,  or  other 
successful  Society  movement,  were  in  reality  carrying  out  a  magnifi- 
cent scheme  which  would,  at  commencement,  enable  them  to  throw 
open  their  hall  to  the  public,  and  far  outshine  the  Wrightonians,  by 
the  exhibition  of  a  new  Brussels  carpet.  Had  the  earth  opened 
beneath  us  we  should  have  been  no  less  surprised,  but  we  were  com- 
pelled to  keep  our  knowledge  secret,  and  make  no  comment  beyond  a 
trusted,  limited  circle.  History  is  silent  upon  the  manner  of  acquiring 
this  knowledge.  Our  information,  which  proved  to  be  correct, 
told  us  that  the  Philadelphians  were  raising  a  fund  of  over  two 
hundred  dollars,  and  had  ordered  a  carpet  to  be  delivered  at  the  end 
of  the  term.  Possibly  our  information  may  have  been  derived  from 
that  sex  which  is  said  to  be  weak  in  the  matter  of  keeping  secrets,  as 
there  were  then  a  few  instances  where  Wrightonians  and  Phila- 
delpians  of  opposite  sexes  so  far  forgot  their  prejudices  as  to  be 
almost,  if  not  quite,  of  one  mind  towards  each  other,  and  in  some 
such  a  manner  information  crossed  the  lines  and  entered  the 
Wrightonian  camp.  "We  at  once  determined  to  buy  a  carpet,  and  to 
buy  it  more  secretly  than  our  rivals.  By  superhuman  efforts,  as  it 
then  appeared,  the  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  requiied  was 
pledged,  and  the  carpet  ordered  from  New  York  by  telegraph,  to  be 
sent  to  Bloomington  by  express.  The  Philadelphia!!  carpet  was 
shipped  by  a  freight  line,  and  ours  arrived  first.  The  secret  was  so 
well  kept  that  the  first  knowledge  of  our  movement  gained  by  the 
Philadelphians  was  when  the  dray  arrived  at  our  door  with  the 
carpet,  arid  it  is  safe  to  assert  that  Normal  experienced  a  flutter  of 
excitement  to  which  the  first  gun  at  Fort  Sumter,  then  one  of  the 
events  of  the  times,  was  a  tame  and  inconsiderable  matter.  When 
it  is  considered  that  a  majority  of  the  members  of  both  Societies 
were  in  ignorance  of  what  had  been  transpiring,  you  will  readily  see 
that  the  movement,  in  an  institution  which  then  counted  but  one- 
third  of  its  present  number,  must  have  been  a  severe  financial 
strain  upon  the  two  Societies,  and  will  perceive  that  this  incident  is  a 
good  illustration  of  the  intense  rivalry  existing  at  that  early  day — a 
rivalry  which  I  now  believe  was  rather  too  sharp  to  be  healthy  and 
profitable. 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY. 


129 


Looking  back,  as  I  can,  to  the  day  when  this  Society  began  its 
existence,  and  being  identified  closely  with  its  history  through  a 
little  over  three  years;  having  seen  it  emerge  from  infancy  to  a 
vigorous  childhood,  and  living  nearly  twenty  jears  in  your  immediate 
vicinity,  where  I  often  hear  of  your  progress  and  success,  it  is  with 
pride  and  respect  that  I  now  behold  your  polished  and  finished 
maturity.  J.  H.  B. 


The  following  is   a  list 
Society,  in  the  order  in  which 

1.  P.  II.  Walker, 

2.  W.  H.  Avery, 

3.  J.  H.  Burnham, 

4.  T.  J.  Curtis, 

5.  D.  W.  Beadle, 

6.  J.  H.  Burnham, 

7.  L.  D.  Bovee, 

8.  P.  K.  Walker, 

9.  E.  A.  Gove, 

10.  D.  G.  Ingraham, 

11.  William  H.  Fuller, 

12.  John  X.  Wilson, 

13.  II.  B.  Norton, 

14.  J.  H.  Burnham, 

15.  E.  A.  Gove, 

16.  P.  R.  Walker, 

17.  J.  L.  Spaulding, 

18.  II.  B.  Norton, 

19.  Dr.  J.  A.  Sewall, 

20.  L.  B.  Kellogg, 

21.  Albert  Stetson, 

22.  W.  Dennis  Hall, 

23.  Thomas  Metcalf, 

24.  John  W.  Cook, 

25.  T.  J.  Burrill, 

26.  L.  B.  Kellogg, 

27.  O.  F.  McKim, 

28.  T.  J.  Burrill, 

29.  Aaron  Karr, 

30.  John  W.  Cook, 

31.  Albert  Stetson, 

32.  J.  A.  Sewall, 

33.  James  Stevenson, 

34.  Edward  Dunn, 

35.  L.  T.  Regan, 


of  the  presidents  of   the   Wrightonian 
they  served : 

36.  S.  Bogardus, 

37.  B.  C.  Allensworth, 

38.  James  Stevenson, 

39.  B.  C.  Allensworth, 

40.  G.  H.  Kurtz, 

41.  W.  II.  Smith, 

42.  G.  G.  Manning, 

43.  Hugh  Edwards, 

44.  J.  W.  Hays, 

45.  Lewis  Goodrich, 

46.  E.  A.  Doolittle, 

47.  Lou  C.  Allen,* 

48.  R.  A.  Childs, 

49.  Benjamin  Hunter, 

50.  Marie  Kimberly, 

51.  Owen  Scott, 

52.  R.  M.  Waterman, 

53.  Henry  Holcomb, 

54.  Alice  A.  Chase, 

55.  Belle  S.  Houston, 

56.  E.  R.  E.  Kirnbrough, 

57.  D.  C.  Roberts, 

58.  Emma  Monroe, 

59.  T.  T.  Thompson, 

60.  James  Carter, 

61.  Minnie  Cox, 

62.  Nellie  Edwards, 

63.  L.  C.  Dougherty, 

64.  Sarah  Littlefield, 

65.  James  Ellis, 

66.  R.  S.  Barton, 

67.  J.  N.  Cushman, 

68.  S.  B.  Wadsworth, 

69.  J.  P.  Hodge, 

70.  Adam  Hoffman, 


'First  lady  president. 


130  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

71.  Emily  Wing,  84.  S.  B.  Hursh, 

72.  Adeline  Goodrich,  85.  E.  K.  Boyer, 

73.  E.  R.  Faulkner,  86.  John  II.  Lear, 

74.  Leroy  B.  Wood,  87.  Beth  L.  Ford, 

75.  Flora  Fuller,  88.  James  W.  Adams, 

76.  Agnes  E.  Ball,  89.  Elmer  E.  Brown, 

77.  George  Franklin,  90.  W.  H.  Bean, 

78.  Edward  Swett,  91.  Nathan  T.  Veatcli, 

79.  Edgar  Wyatt,  '92.  Edwin  E.  Rosenberry, 

80.  Ida  L.  Philbrick,  '      93.  John  K  Wayman, 

81.  Andrew  W.  Elder,  94.  Wendell  F.  Puckett, 

82.  Theodore  W.  Peers,  95.  William  II.  Heath. 

83.  Silas  Y.  Gillan, 

When  the  Society  was  first  organized,  debating  was  considered 
its  principal  object,  and  debates  continued  to  be  a  leading  feature  of 
the  programme  for  many  years.  The  records  show  that  the  debates 
were  generally  upon  questions  of  the  day.  These  debates,  especially 
during  war  time,  were  often  very  spirited.  It  was  voted  at  one 
time  to  make  Abraham  Lincoln  an  honorary  member  of  the  Society. 
Then  followed  a  motion  to  add  Jeff.  Davis  to  the  number.  This 
served  only  to  provoke  a  spirited  discussion,  and  was  voted  down. 

It  was  customary,  in  the  early  days,  to  have  a  standing  committee 
on  debate,  whose  duty  it  was  to  announce  at  each  meeting  the  subject 
for  debate  at  the  next  meeting.  The  monotony  of  the  more  serious 
debates  was  broken  by  the  introduction  of  those  whose  whole  aim 
was  fun.  The  following  are  illustrations : 

"The  difference  I  ne'er  could  see 
'Twixt  Tweedle  Dum  and  Tweedle  Dee." 

Question:  '*•  Resolved,  That  the  sentiment  of  the  foregoiiig  lines  is 
calculated  seriously  to  impair  the  morals  of  the  community."  Messrs. 
Stetson  and  Metcalf  supporting  the  affirmative,  and  Messrs.  Edwards 
and  Sewall  the  negative.  And  again: 

"Resolved,  That  the  proposed  transit  of  Venus  is  inexpedient, 
and  should  be  postponed  till  the  times  are  easier,"  in  which  Mr.  Bur- 
rington  sustained  his  argument  by  copious  extracts  from  Cesar's  Com- 
mentaries, and  Dr.  Sewall  had  a  black-board  brought  in,  and  illustrated 
his  remarks  by  appropriate  sketches — with  his  own  hand. 

Again,  "Resolved,  That  the  progress  of  the  nineteenth  century  is 
the  greatest  humbug  afloat. " 

The  programmes  of  the  two  Societies  present,  at  present,  'a  much 
greater  variety  of  exercises  than  in  former  days.  What  is  said  in 
the  Philadelpian  history  in  regard  to  the  gradual  growth  of  these 
exercises,  is  applicable  to  Wrightonia  as  well. 

The  lecture  seems  to  have  occupied  great  prominence.  In  the 
records  of  1870,  we  find  accounts  of  eight  lectures.  While  some  of 


STATE    NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  131 

these  lectures  were  obtained  from  abroad,  most  of  them  were  given 
by  members  of  the  faculty. 

One  of  the  most  important  events  of  1867  was  the  refurnishing 
of  the  hall.  It  sadly  needed  renovation.  Lou  C.  Allen,  H.  R. 
Edwards,  and  B.  C.  Allensworth  were  chosen  as  a  committee  to  fix 
up  things.  The  funds  were  largely  raised  by  subscription,  quite  a 
number  of  the  members  subscribing  ten  dollars  each.  Something 
over  three  hundred  dollars  was  raised.  With  this  sum  and  the 
proceeds  of  an  exhibition,  the  work  began.  Thomas  Atkins  was 
employed  to  fresco  the  ceiling  and  walls.  This  was  done  after  a  new 
style,  as  shown  in  the  house  then  occupied  by  Mr.  Hawley,  and  in 
which  Mr.  Pennell  now  lives.  Tommy  was  quite  an  artist  in  his 
way,  a  great  favorite  with  the  committee,  and  warranted  his  work  to 
stay  on  as  long  as  the  plastering  stuck.  The  chairs  and  chandeliers 
now  in  use  were  purchased  at  this  time.  The  piano  (not  the  same  one 
now  in  the  hall)  was  selected  by  Prof.  Metcalf  while  on  a  visit  east. 
There  was  a  special  committee  selected  to  buy  the  piano,  at  the  head 
of  which  was  that  accomplished  musician  and  royal  gentleman,  I.  F. 
Kleckner.  The  only  time  Mr.  Metcalf  was  ever  known  to  reprove  any 
one  for  being  polite  was  when  Kleckner,  in  ordering  the  piano,  began 
a  telegram  with  the  word  "please."  The  hall  was  finally  ready  for 
reopening.  The  committee  was  satisfied,  and  so  was  everybody  else. 
Of  course  the  Philadelphians  had  to  follow  suit  in  the  way  of  fixing 
up.  The  project  of  framing  the  photographs  of  the  presidents  was  at 
this  time  conceived  and  carried  out.  About  this  time  the  craze  for 
dramas  struck  the  two  Societies,  and  the  "curtain"  was  about  the  only 
thing  that  would  draw  the  crowd.  About  the  last  night  of  the  winter 
term  of  1867  witnessed  the  culmination  of  the  aforesaid  craze.  The 
presidents  of  both  Societies  had  a  special  programme,  each  putting 
forth  his  best  efforts  to  get  the  audience.  The  curtain  was  joint 
property,  and  mysteriously  disappeared  until  recess,  when  it  was 
spread  to  the  breeze  in  Wrightonian  Hall.  The  president  of 
Wrightonia  went  home  a  happy  boy  that  night. 

The  halls  were  first  heated  by  means  of  steam  pipes.  These, 
however,  proved  insufficient,  and  a  great  nuisance,  and  Ruttan 
ventilating  stoves  were  substituted.  The  stove  was  sometimes 
unable  to  warm  the  hall.  Instances  are  found  of  adjournments  on 
account  of  the  cold.  In  1878,  a  joint  committee  presented  the 
matter  of  heating  the  hall  to  the  Board  of  Education,  and  the  hot 
air  ducts  on  the  west  side  of  the  building  were  continued  to  the 
society  halls,  and  two  registers  put  in  each  hall. 

The  constitution  of  the  Society  has  undergone  constant  change. 
Even  as  early  as  the  year  1869  the  original  framers  of  the  instrument 
would  not  have  known  it.  The  present  constitution  was  adopted  in 
September,  1877,  but  has  since  been  amended.  Among  these  amend- 
ments are  those  providing  for  an  assistant  treasurer  and  a  news  gleaner. 


132  HISTORY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

Among  many  topics  that  deserve  more  extended  notices,  are 
the  following:  The  presentation  of  the  present  secretary's  desk  by 
Aaron  Gove,  in  behalf  of  Simeon  Wright,  in  March,  1870;  the 
"Sumner"  meeting  in  1874;  the  contests  between  the  high  school 
and  the  Normal  Departments,  in  which  the  high  school  pupils 
compared  favorably  with  their  opponents;  the  gradual  increase  of 
contest  expenses,  and  the  spelling-match  between  the  two  Societies 
in  March,  1875. 

On  November  20,  1876,  occurred  the  death  of  Simeon  Wright, 
at  his  home  in  Kinmundy,  Illinois.  His  body  was  taken  to  Rock 
Falls,  where  it  was  buried  with  Masonic  rites.  The  following 
resolutions  were  adopted  by  the  Society: 

WHEREAS,  It  has  pleased  Divine  Providence  to  remove,  by 
death,  the  founder  and  devoted  friend  of  the  Wrightonian  Society, 
Simeon  Wright;  therefore  be  it 

Resolved,  That  in  his  death  we  recognize  the  loss  of  the 
beneficent  father  of  this  Society,  one  of  the  most  energetic  workers 
in  the  earlier  educational  efforts  of  Illinois,  and  one  of  the  warmest 
friends  of  the  Normal  University. 

Resolved,  That  his  generous  character,  manifested,  as  it  was, 
by  hearty  sympathy  and  material  aid  in  our  behalf,  shall  ever  be 
cherished  by  the  members  of  the  Wrightonian  Society,  and  that  we 
tender  his  relatives  our  deepest  sympathy. 

Resolved,  That  as  a  token  of  respect  to  his  memory,  the 
Wrightonian  Hall  shall  be  draped  in  mourning  during  the  present 
school  term. 

Resolved,  That  our  secretary  be  instructed  to  forward  a  copy  of 
these  resolutions  to  the  bereaved  relatives  of  the  deceased,  and  also 
a  copy  of  the  same  to  the  Educational  Weekly,  for  publication. 

The  following  is  from  the  pen  of  a  graduate  of  1861: 

It  was  shortly  after  the  formation  of  the  "D  and  E"  Society  that 
Simeon  Wright  appeared  amongst  us.  Most  of  us  had  heard  of  him, 
many  had  seen  him.  He  had  been  an  ardent  worker  in  the  interests 
of  common  schools  of  the  State,  had  traveled  and  lectured  in  nearly 
every  county, — a  task  in  those  days  of  no  small  magnitude, — and  as 
agent  of  the  State  Teachers'  Association  had  contributed  more  than 
had  any  other  man  toward  the  upbuilding  of  that  sentiment  that  has 
since  helped  to  make  Illinois  one  of  the  first  common  school  States  in 
the  Union.  I  have  been  told  that  his  career  as  State  agent  is  the  only 
instance,  in  our  educational  history,  where  a  lecturer  was  employed 
at  the  voluntary  expense  of  the  teachers  of  the  community  to  travel 
and  lecture  in  the  interests  of  popular  education.  Uncle  Sim,  as  we 
soon  learned  to  term  him,  called  our  attention  to  the  need  of  libraries 
connected  with  the  Normal  School,  and  early  espoused  the  champion- 
ship of  the  k'D  and  E"  Society.  Being  as  lie  was  a  welcome  visitor, 
and  intimate  in  the  advices  of  the  school  management,  I  have  ever 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  133 

thought  that  this  espousal  of  the  "D  and  E"  was  but  a  part  of  the 
plan  whereby  the  principal  of  the  school  should  be  the  patron  of  the 
elder,  while  Uncle  Sim  could  foster  the  interests  of  the  younger.  Be 
this  us  it  may,  he  urged  us  to  proceed  at  once  to  the  establishment  of 
a  library,  and  made  what  were  at  that  time  munificent  otters  towards  its 
foundation.  Two  large  library  cases  stood  at  that  time  in  the  school 
room.  One  of  these  was  set  apart  for  the  library  and  was  soon  well 
filled  with  books.  The  other  was  ottered  to  the  other  Society  for  a 
similar  purpose.  Thus  it  was  that  Uncle  Sim  was  the  real  founder  of 
the  Society  libraries.  The  increase  in  members  of  the  school  increased 
the  roll  of  the  Societies.  The  older  Society  found  it  necessary  to 
amend  their  constitution,  and  admit  ladies  to  membersliip.  The 
re-christening  followed  close  upon  these  movements,  and  the  names 
Wrightonian  and  Philadelphian  were  assumed.  The  latter,  in  the 
light  of  subsequent  events,  should  have  been  named  for  the  first 
principal  of  the  school.  Uncle  Sim  now  again  stepped  to  the  front 
and  volunteered  to  procure  a  charter  for  the  Society  from  the  Legis- 
lature. He  argued  that  as  some  considerable  property  was  likely  to 
come  into  posession  of  the  Society,  the  title  should  be  safely  vested. 
At  that  time  we  fondly  hoped  to  be  able  to  erect  a  separate  building 
for  Society  hall,  and  while  that  consummation  is  yet  in  the  future, 
perhaps  the  next  quarter  century  may  find  such  an  enterprise 
completed. 

The  rebellion  opened  in  the  summer  of  1861.  We  .had  been  in 
the  new  building  one  season,  when  principal,  part  of  the  faculty,  and 
a  majority  of  the  Society  enlisted  for  three  years.  Uncle  Sim  went 
with  us  as  quartermaster  of  the  regiment.  It  was  during  these  years 
of  camp  and  campaign  life  that  we  learned  more  than  ever  before  to 
love  the  man.  Now  those  warm,  affectionate  traits  of  his  character 
had  full  play  in  caring  for  the  interests  and  comfort  of  his  boys. 
No  position,  save  perhaps  that  of  surgeon,  and  even  that  except  in 
an  engagement  was  second,  offered  such  opportunities  as  did  that  of 
quartermaster  for  doing  good  to  that  youthful  and  immature  regiment 
of  soldiers.  To  him  they  looked  for  food  and  clothing,  for  protect  inn 
from  the  inclemencies  of  the  weather  and  from  the  dangers  of 
disease.  Uncle  Sim  was  a  true  hero  in  camp  and  on  the  march. 
No  man  ever  asked  from  him  in  vain.  His  labors  were  unceasing 
and  unselfish.  When  others  were  sleeping,  he  was  planning  for 
their  comfort.  Did  a  man  break  down  on  the  march,  Uncle  Sim  had 
an  extra  horse  for  him  to  ride.  Did  one  fall  sick,  Uncle  Sim  found 
transportation  to  some  comfortable  hospital. 

As  I  look  back  at  those  days,  I  remember  him  with  the  utmost 
admiration  and  thankfulness.  After  the  war  I  lost  intimate  knowledge 
of  him,  but  managed  to  see  him  at  least  once  a  year,  the  last  time  a 
few  months  before  he  died,  at  his  farm  near  Kinmundy.  He  was  the 
same  Uncle  Sim  Wright,  fond  of  talking  of  his  dear  young  friends. 


134:  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

and  ever  putting  above  all  other  things  the  Wrightonian  Society, 
which  he  seemed  to  regard  with  especial  favor.  I  was  ready  to  learn, 
at  his  decease,  that  he  had  remembered  it  substantially  even  to  his  end. 

Few  men  have  lived  the  peer  of  Simeon  Wright  in  true  friend- 
ship. His  faults,  like  those  of  the  rest  of  us,  were  apparent,  but 
covered  so  deep  by  his  graces  that  the  former  can  barely  be  discerned 
at  this  writing,  and  in  a  few  years  more  will  be  lost  forever. 

Whatever  his  private  personal  griefs  may  have  been,  I  have 
never  known.  That  he  bore  a  burden  of  sorrow,  I  believe  we  always 
thought,  but  he  bore  them  alone.  No  man  ever  heard  him  complain. 
He  seemed  to  live  for  others,  never  for  himself,  and  successfully 
prevented  his  intimate  friends  from  sharing  whatever  of  his  pain,  in 
his  moments  of  solitude,  saddened  his  heart.  It  is  good  for  us  who 
have  left  your  halls  forever,  to  know  that  kindly  hearts  still  beat,  and 
kindly  remembrances  still  exist,  for  one  who,  despite  his  faults,  had 
one  of  the  largest  and  warmest  hearts,  and  whose  true  friends  are 
scattered  far  and  wide  over  the  earth.  No  poor  student  ever  appealed 
to  tlncle  Sim  in  vain.  No  case  of  deserved  charity  ever  passed  his 
door  unheeded;  his  hand,  heart  and  purse  were  always  open  to  the 
deserving.  •  His  memory  will  ever  live  in  the  hearts  especially  of  the 
class  of  1861. 

Whatever  may  be  the  career  of  the  Illinois  Normal  School, 
whether  fortune  or  mishap  be  met,  so  long  as  memory  can  relate 
one  item  of  its  life,  the  relation  of  Simeon  Wright  to  it  and  its 
interests  will  be  a  salient  feature. 

At  the  request  of  one  of  the  young  members  of  the  Society, 
I  am  glad  to  write  these  few  words  in  testimony  of  my  affection 
for  him,  and  rny  regard  for  his  memory.  AAKOTST  GOVE. 

In  December,  1876,  the  Wrightonians  were  elated,  and  the  whole 
school  surprised,  by  the  announcement  that  the  Society  had  received 
a  legacy  of  one  thousand  dollars,  through  the  liberality  of  its 
founder.  In  due  time  the  officers  of  the  Society  were  notified  of 
the  fact  that  the  last  will  and  testament  of  Mr.  Wright  contained 
a  bequest,  as  above  stated.  A  committe  was  appointed  to  take  the 
matter  in  charge,  and  act  in  the  matter  for  the  Society,  and  for 
nearly  two  years,  from  term  to  term,  a  "committee  on  the  Simeon 
Wright  legacy"  was  regularly  appointed.  But  after  a  great  amount 
of  correspondence  with  Mr.  Grove  Wright,  brother  of  the  deceased, 
and  other  parties,  the  Society  found  it  impossible  to  realize  any 
part  of  the  legacy,  the  estate  of  the  grantor  having  been  considerably 
encumbered,  and  the  will  having  been  changed  in  regard  to  one  of 
the  legatees,  by  interlining,  after  it  had  been  attested. 

The  correspondence  on  this  subject  made  the  members  better 
acquainted  with  the  early  history  of  their  Society,  and  the.  interest 
which  Mr.  Wright  took  in  its  prosperity  during  the  first  years  of 
its  existence.  By  invitation  of  Mr.  G.  Wright,  a  committee  of  the 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  135 

Society  furnished  an  epitaph  for  Simeon  Wright's  tomb.  He  is 
buried  in  a  picturesque  spot  in  the  cemetery  at  Rock  Falls,  which 
is  situated  on  a  high  point  of  land,  overlooking  the  valley  of  Rock 
River  with  its  beautiful  scenery,  for  miles.  The  deed  of  the 
burying  lot  in  which  his  remains  rest,  is  held  by  the  Society ;  and 
the  gavel  now  in  use  in  Wrightonian  Hall  was  made  from  a 
branch  of  Siberian  arbor  vitae  which  stands  at  the  head  of  his  grave. 


At  the  close  of  the  fall  term  of  1877,  Andrew  "W.  Elder  was 
elected  Wrightonian  president,  and  Miss  Jessie  Dexter  Philadelphian 
president.  It  was  decided  that  the  regular  union  meeting  of  the  term 
should  be  postponed  till  after  the  holidays,  and  both  Societies  assembled 
in  the  Normal  Hall,  on  the  first  Saturday  evening  of  the  next  term. 
The  programme  was  a  good  one,  and  the  reeling  between  the  Societies 
was  only  such  as  to  promise  a  healthful  emulation.  There  were  no 
indications  of  the  storm  that  closed  the  term  on  the  memorable  ides  of 
March,  1878. 

At  a  joint  meeting  of  the  Societies  it  was  decided  to  hold  a 
union  meeting,  Saturday  evening,  March  16,  1878,  and  that  no  admis- 
sion fee  should  be  charged.  This  was  unsatisfactory  to  many  leading 
Philadelphians,  and  a  meeting  was  called  to  reconsider  the  question  of 
admission  fee.  It  was  argued  by  Messrs.  Powers,  Laybourn,  Bowles, 
and  other  Philadelphians,  that  such  a  proceeding  was  in  violation 
of  their  Society's  constitution,  under  the  provisions  of  which  they 
could  not  hold  a  free  meeting.  The  Wrightonian  constitution  was  free 
from  any  such  restraining  clause,  and  it  was  thought,  even  if  it  were 
not,  such  clause  would  be  null  and  void  so  far  as  the  union  meeting 
was  concerned,  for  neither  constitution  ought  to  limit  the  action  or  fix 
the  liability  of  the  other  Society.  They  met  in  the  president's  room 
after  school,  and  a  hot  contest  ensued.  Miss  Dexter  occupied  the 
chair.  A  vote  was  taken  and  the  Wrightonians  seemed  to  be  in  the 
majority.  Motions  were  made  to  suspend,  to  amend,  to  lay  on  the 
table;  points  of  order  were  raised,  till  the  president,  despairing  of 
any  peaceable  settlement  of  the  questions,  called  Mr.  Elder  to  the 
chair  and  suddenly  left  the  room.  This  was  a  signal  for  a  "bolt,''  and 
the  Philadelphians  all  followed.  The  opposition  having  left  the  room, 
of  course  it  was  soon  decided  to  sustain  the  action  of  the  previous 
meeting.  The  following  announcement  of  programme  appeared  in  the 
Bloomington  Lead.er,  Friday  afternoon,  March  15:  "The  union  meet- 
ing of  the  two  Societies,  next  Saturday,  promises  to  be  the  great  event 
of  the  season.  The  lovers  of  good  music  will  surely  be  entertained; 
and  every  one  will  be  delighted  with  the  exhibition  of  chemical  ex]>c>r- 
iments  by  Prof.  Seymour.  The  admission  is  free,  and  every  one  \> 
cordially  invited.  The  meeting  will  be  held  in  the  grand  hall,  and  will 
be  the  last  society  exercise  of  the  term.  The  following  exercises  will 
be  presented: 


136  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

Music,  Misses  Bradshaw  and  Manning  and  Messrs.  Peers  and 
Oug;  essay,  Miss  Knight;  oration,  "Echoes,"  P.  R.  Cross; 
gallopade,  violin  and  cornet,  Messrs.  Ong  and  Luf kin ;  declamation, 
L.  S.  Judd ;  vocal  solo,  Miss  Bradshaw;  comic  debate:  Resolved, 
That  congress  should  take  immediate  action  to  prevent  the  present 
threatened  attack  of  spring  weather.  Affirmative,  Silas  Gillan  and 
Dode  Peers.  Negative,  "Stephie"  and  Jim  Byrnes;  violin  solo, 
Charles  Gaston;  declamation,  J.  W.  Adams;  humorous  reading, 
Elmer  Brown  ;  oration,  "The  Devil's  Yard-sticks,"  Silas  Y.  Gillan  ; 
song,  "Carve  Dat  'Possum,"  Colored  Glee  Club.  The  entertain- 
ment will  close  with  some  brilliant  experiments  with  the  oxyhy- 
drogen  blow-pipe,  by  Prof.  Seymour. 

,  Philadelphia!!  President. 

A.  W.  ELDER,  Wrightonian  President. 

The  above  blank  is  explained  by  the  fact  that  the  Philadelphian 
president  is  among  the  number  of  bolters  who  propose  to  have  a 
little  meeting  all  to  themselves." 

The  union  meeting  was  all,  and  even  more,  than  its  friends 
expected.  The  great  hall  was  crowded,  there  being  hardly  standing 
room  for  the  "bolting  faction,"  some  of  whom  responded  to  a  special 
invitation  to  come  out  of  the  adjoining  room  and  witness  "the 
brilliant  experiments  with  the  oxyhydrogen  blow-pipe,"  which,  by 
the  way,  amounted  to  nothing,  for  the  blow-pipe  was  out  of  fix. 
The  following  is  taken  from  the  autograph  album  of  a  loyal 
Wrightonian  of  that  day: 

Let  "brotherly  love  "  be  thy  motto, 

Wrightonian  decisions  thy  guide; 
And  whether  in  mansion  or  grotto, 

Refer  to  the  "  Union  "  with  pride. 
In  society  rules  so  potential, 

In  joint  rules,  so  easily  spurned, 
Isn't  there  yet  a  "cream  "  (confidential) 

That  bolters  will  bring  when  well  churned  ? 
Remember,  inflame  there's  attraction, 

In  gas  there's  a  wonderful  "  draw;" 
And,  by  these,  one  may  wheedle  a  faction, 

That  openly  sneei's  at  a  law. 
March  20,  1878.  Yours  in  friendship,  JAMES  BYRNES. 


Among  the  traditions  of  the  Society,  is  one  to  the  effect  that, 
years  ago,  there  was  a  regular  publication  conducted  by  ' '  the  boys, " 
which  was  called  The  Ventilator;  that  it  was  vigorous  and  sprightly 
and  gradually  grew  so  spicy  that  it  burned  itself  out,  and  died  for 
want  of  editors  brave  enough  to  handle  it.  However  this  may  be, 
certain  it  is  that  in  1877  some  of  the  boys  undertook  to  revive  this 
real  or  mythical  publication;  but  the  undertaking  was  not  crowned 
with  perennial  success.  Notliing  of  a  startling  character  had  occurred 
in  the  field  of  journalism  among  the  students  since  the  phenoim-mil 


STATE  NORMAL  '"NIVKKSITV.  I:;T 

event  that  marked  the  close  of  the  centennial  year,  and  the  monotony 
begun  to  be  oppressive;  besides,  the  boys  concluded  that  there  weiv 
a  few  things  that  needed  regulating.  Accordingly,  a  half-dozen  of 
them  set  about  the  preparation  of  the  "Great  Illustrated  Monthly, 
The  Ventilator." 

On  the  evening  appointed  for  the  reading  of  the  "periodical," 
the  Wrightonian  Hall  was  crowded  to  its  full  seating  capacity.  A 
number  of  visitors  from  abroad,  several  members  of  the  faculty,  and 
many  citizens  of  the  town  were  in  the  audience.  The  editors  were 
introduced  after  recess,  and  proceeded  to  unroll  five  or  six  yards  of 
manuscript  in  one  continuous  scroll.  As  they  read  from  one  side 
of  the  paper,  the  crayon  sketch  illustrations  Vere  displayed  on  the 
other.  Of  the  special  points  of  excellence  which  characterized  the 
paper,  it  is  not  necessary  here  to  speak;  suffice  it  to  say  that  it 
contained  some  features  of  such  unusual  interest  and  merit  that  the 
boys  received  an  invitation  to  read  it  entire  the  next  Monday  morning 
in  the  reception  room  to  a  select  audience,  consisting  of  the  members 
of  the  faculty.  After  receiving  this  high  and  well-deserved  attention, 
the  editors  were  requested  to  file  the  original  copies  of  the  contri- 
butions and  the  names  of  the  writers;*  and  as  a  further  token  of  the 
regard  in  which  the  faculty  held  them,  the  boys  were  granted  a 
vacation  for  an  indefinite  time,  which,  however,  was  terminated  at 
the  end  of  one  week,  and  Society  matters  once  more  flowed  on  in 
their  accustomed  channel.  Yet,  strange  to  relate,  until  this  day  no 
one  has  seen  another  copy  of  The  Ventilator. 


In  the  fall  term  of  18T8,  a  certain  lawyer  of  Normal,  one 
Newton  B.  Reed,  sent  a  bill  of  two  dollars  and  twenty  cents  to  E.  R. 
Boyer,  chairman  of  the  finance  committee,  claiming  that  the  amount 
was  due  from  the  Society  to  a  certain  grocer  who  had  recently 
become  insolvent  and  left  the  State.  Mr.  Boyer  asked  for  an 
itemized  statement,  but  this  was  peremptorily  refused,  immediate 
payment  demanded,  and  a  law  suit  threatened.  After  consultation 
with  the  other  members  of  the  finance  committee  and  the  officers  of 
the  Society,  it  was  decided  to  "let  him  sue."  Accordingly,  Mr. 
Reed  was  duly  informed  that  if  he  could  show  the  bill  to  be  a  just 
debt,  he  could  get  his  money  by  presenting  the  claim  in  a  regular 
manner,  otherwise  not.  A  few  days  later,  summonses  were  issued 
for  E.  R.  Boyer,  chairman  of  the  finance  committee,  Silas  Y.  Gillan, 
president,  and  Miss  Lizzie  Ross,  secretary,  to  appear  in  Bloomington. 
By  unanimous  vote  of  the  Society,  Mr.  Gillan  was  appointed  to  take 
charge  of  the  matter.  A  change  of  venue  was  taken  to  Judge 
Lawrence's  court.  The  case  was  duly  heard,  and  argued  at  some 
length  by  both  sides,  the  Society's  representatives  claiming  that  the 

*One  of  them,  "Stevy's"  article,  remained  among  the  archives  of  the  University 
about  two  years. 


138  HISTORY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

bill  could  not  be  legally  collected  until  regularly  presented.  Mr. 
Reed  claimed  to  have  an  order  on  the  society  treasurer  for  the 
amount,  signed  by  a  former  president,  but  up  to  the  time  of  the  trial 
he  had  failed  to  produce  it.  Mr.  Gillan  argued  that  if  that  were 
true,  then  the  bill  was  already  paid,  the  order  having  been  accepted, 
and  that  as  soon  as  such  order  should  be  presented  to  the  treasurer 
it  would  be  honored;  but  since  Mr.  Reed  made  no  claim  of  ever 
having  presented  the  order,  it  could  not  be  held  that  the  Society  had 
refused  payment,  and  that  it  must  be  presented  before  suit  could  be 
brought.  Legal  authority  was  quoted  in  favor  of  this  opinion. 
Judge  Lawrence  postponed  his  decision  for  a  few  days  to  consult 
authorities.  On  the  following  Saturday  he  rendered  a  decision 
sustaining  the  points  taken  by  the  Society,  and  entering  judgment 
for  costs  of  trial  against  the  party  in  whose  name  Mr.  Reed  had 
brought  suit.  There  was,  of  course,  universal  rejoicing  among  the 
Wrightouians  when  the  result  was  announced.  They  had  undertaken 
the  fight  "for  the  principle  involved,"  because  they  felt  that  Mr. 
Reed  had  been  haughty  and  imperious,  and  that  tamely  to  go  to  him 
to  pay  an  order  which  had  been  accepted  and  never  presented  for 
payment,  would  be  acceeding  to  an  unjust  demand.  This  exultation 
was  short-lived,  however,  for  Mr.  Reed  appealed  the  case  to  the 
Circuit  Court,  and  it  came  up  during  the  winter  term  following.  Mr. 
S.  B.  Hursh  was  then  president,  and  Mr.  Gillan  was  made  chairman 
of  the  finance  committee,  with  instructions  from  the  other  officers  of 
the  Society,  sanctioned  by  a  unanimous  vote  of  the  members,  to  take 
charge  of  the  case,  as  before.  On  the  day  fixed  for  hearing  the  case, 
Messrs.  Hursh,  East,  and  Gillan,  appeared  for  the  Society,  and 
owing  to  "the  law's  delay,"  had  to  wait  three  days  before  it  was 
called.  Mr.  Reed,  probably  not  caring  to  appear  in  so  dignified  a 
court  with  school  boys  for  opponents,  engaged  another  attorney  to 
conduct  his  case.  This  time  a  jury  trial  was  had.  The  jury  did  not 
agree  on  a  verdict  until  near  noon  the  next  day,  when  they  reported 
a  decision  adverse  to  the  Society.  The  costs  in  the  case  amounted  to 
about  forty  dollars. 

Previous  to  May,  1877,  the  Society  obtained  funds  by  means  of 
dues,  which  were  one  dollar  per  term.  This  fund  they  supplemented, 
when  necessary,  by  a  tax  upon  the  members.  No  admission  fee  was 
charged  at  their  meetings.  By  means  of  lectures  and  festivals, 
they  raised  money  to  make  many  great  improvements.  The  amounts 
netted  at  these  lectures  and  festivals  show  that  they  were  well 
patronized.  The  committee  on  a  union  supper  in  1875,  reported  the 
net  proceeds  to  be  one  hundred  and  fifty-one  dollars  and  ninety  cents. 

Wrightonia's  enterprise  in  pushing  forward  such  schemes  was 
well  illustrated  in  the  management  of  an  ice  cream  and  strawberry 
festival  in  June,  1876.  The  evening  proved  stormy  and  cold,  but 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  139 

nothing  daunted  by  the  weather,  they  secured  a  large  attendance. 
Fires  were  put  in  all  the  stoves,  and  the  temperature  of  the  room 
was  made  such  as  to  induce  all  to  become  patrons.  The  net  proceeds 
were  seventy  dollars. 

To  prevent  disorder,  naturally  resulting  from  free  admission,  as 
well  as  to  provide  an  easy  method  of  raising  funds,  the  present 
ticket  system  was  adopted.  In  the  following  resolution  introduced 
by  Silas  Y.  Gillan,  and  passed  by  the  Wrightonian  Society,  in  May, 
1877,  are  embodied  the  principal  features  of  the  system : 

WHEREAS,  The  current  expenses  of  the  Society  are  greater  than 
can  be  met  by  the  usual  receipts;  be  it 

Resolved,  That  the  following  measures  be  adopted : 

1.  The  treasurer  shall  give  to  each  Wrightonian  who  has  signed 
the   constitution   and  paid   his  dues  for  the  current  term,  a  ticket 
which  shall   entitle  him  to  admission  to  all  sessions  of  the  Society 
during  the  present  term. 

2.  Philadelphians  who  possess  like  credentials  from  that  Society 
shall  be  admitted  to  any  session  of  this  Society,  provided  that  the 
Philadelphia!!     Society    grants    the     same     privileges     to    persons 
possessing  tickets  from  this  Society. 

3.  The  president  and  chorister  shall  have  power  to  give  compli- 
mentary tickets,  which  shall  admit  the  persons  receiving  them  to  one 
session  of  the  Society. 

4.  Persons  not  possessing  tickets  of  the  above  description  shall  be 
admitted  on  the  payment  of  ten  cents  an  evening. 

5.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  janitor  to  collect  the  admission  fee 
from  all  persons  who  enter  this  hall,  from  whom  said  fee  is  due. 

6.  These  measures  shall  be  enforced  after  one  week  from  adoption. 
The  term  dues  now  are  fifty  cents,  and  these  receipts  of  the  Society 

are  generally  sufficient  to  meet  all  demands.  During  one  term  of  the 
past  year  Wrightonia's  membership  was  one  hundred  and  forty,  so 
that,  notwithstanding  the  extensive  improvements  made  during  the 
past  two  years,  the  Society's  finances  are  in  good  condition. 


The  society  fight,  of  the  fall  of  1880,  began  with  the  discovery 
of  some  things  that  looked  to  Wrightonian  eyes  like  irregularities  in 
the  selling  of  tickets  by  the  Philadelphians.  Season  tickets  admim-d 
the  holders  to  all  regular  meetings  of  both  Societies  during  the  n-rui, 
and  entitled  them  to  a  participation  in  society  affairs.  These  tickets 
bore  the  following  inscription : 


1880.  I.    S.    N.    U.  1880. 

MEMBERSHIP    TICKET 

PHILADELPHIAN  AND  WHIGHTONIAN 

SOCIETIES. 

Fall  Term.  Dues,  50c. 


140  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

Persons  not  members  of  the  school,  and  consequently  not  mem- 
bers of  either  Sociofcy,  began  to  present  these  membership  tickets 
for  admission  at  the  Wrightonian  door.  The  doorkeeper  reported  to 
the  Society  officers,  and  aprivate  investigation  began.  E.  E.  Brown 
was  Society  president.  The  pith  of  the  whole  affair  was  found  in 
Article  XIII,  of  the  Philadelphian  constitution,  the  first  sentence 
of  which  read  as  follows :  ' '  All  persons  except  members  in  full  of 
either  the  Philadelphian  or  the  Wrightonian  Society,  shall  pay  an 
admission  fee  of  ten  (10)  cents  to  each  regular  meeting  of  the  Society; 
except  that  upon  payment  of  fifty  (50)  cents  a  ticket  of  admission  shall 
be  given,  with  the  name  of  the  person  purchasing  the  same  written 
thereon,  and  admitting  said  person  to  all  meetings  of  either  the  Phil- 
adelphian or  the  Wrightonian  Society  (contest  excepted),  for  the  term 
during  which  the  same  may  be  purchased.  In  other  words,  the  Phil- 
adelphian constitution  provided  that  the  "Wrights"  should  admit 
to  all  of  their  meetings,  public  and  private,  any  person  who  should 
favor  the  ' '  Phils ' '  to  the  extent  of  fifty  cents. 

A  joint  meeting  was  held  in  room  twenty-four,  October  5. 
After  the  regular  business  of  the  meeting  had  been  disposed  of, 
a  Wrightonian  got  the  floor,  spoke  of  the  discovery,  gave  in  a  sentence 
or  two  a  mild  statement  of  his  opinion  about  that  Article  XIII,  and 
referred  to  the  need  of  immediate  action.  A  joint  committee  was 
appointed  to  examine  and  report  on  the  subject,  this  committee,  con- 
sisting of  three  from  each  Society,  failed  to  agree.  Another  joint 
meeting  was  held,  to  which  Wrightonian  members  went  en  masse. 
The  committee  gave  two  reports:  the  Wrightonian  to  the  effect  that 
the  clause  in  the  Philadelphian  constitution  must  be  repealed  as  a 
necessary  condition  of  further  joint  action  on  the  ticket  question;  the 
Philadelphian  to  the  effect  that  the  clause  was  justifiable.  A  certain 
Wrightonian  moved  the  adoption  of  the  Wrightonian  report,  which 
was  followed  by  a  spirited  debate  and  a  motion  to  adjourn.  The  Phil- 
adelphians  found  themselves  in  the  minority  on  the  vote  to  adjourn, 
and  most  of  them  left  the  room.  They  bolted.  The  Wrightonian 
report  was  shortly  afterward  adopted.  Some  of  the  Philadelphian s 
complained  that  there  had  been  trickery,  in  that  they  had  not  had  due 
•  notice  of  the  meeting.  In  reply  they  were  told  that  their  president 
had  a  hand  in  calling  the  meeting. 

Many  of  the  Philadelphians  began  to  acknowledge  the  unreason- 
ableness of  Article  XIII,  but  the  majority  seemed  disposed  to  retain  it, 
for  fear  its  repeal  would  look  like  humiliating  submission.  The  latter 
feeling  lost  influence,  and  near  the  close  of  the  term,  a  committee  from 
each  Society  framed  a  joint  rule  on  the  question,  and  Article  XIII,  of 
the  Philadelphian  constitution,  was  repealed. 

The  idea  of  uniting  the  two  libraries  was  talked  of  in  September, 
1880.     A  Wrightonian  urged  the  union  of  the  two  Society  libraries 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  141 

with  the  University  library,  the  setting  apart  of  some  convenient  room, 
and  the  appointment,  by  the  Board  of  Education,  of  a  librarian.  It 
was  a  part  of  the  plan  to  make  this  librarian  a  salaried  officer, — on 
duty  one-half  of  each  day, — and  that  the  positions  of  librarian  and 
university  stationer  be  made  scholarships,  to  be  assigned  to  those  of 
highest  rank  in  certain  work,  and  given  to  th  ose  only  who  intended 
finishing  the  course.  This  plan  was  presente  d  to  the  Board,  but  at 
that  time  did  not  meet  their  approval. 

In  the  spring  term  of  1880,  the  Society  began  a  series  of 
improvements  which  it  has  continued  to  the  present  time.  During 
this  time  there  have  been  purchased,  curtains,  at  a  cost  of  eighty-two 
dollars  ;  a  piano  for  two  nundred  and  sixty  dollars  (the  old  piano, 
valued  at  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars,  being  part  payment); 
a  new  frame  for  Simeon  Wright's  picture,  for  thirteen  dollars  and 
fifty  cents;  a  presidents  chair,  for  twenty-four  dollars  and  fifty 
cents;  a  secretary's  chair,  for  eighteen  dollars  and  fifty  cents;  a 
president's  table,  for  ten  dollars;  a  critic's  table,  for  eighteen 
dollars,  and  a  chandelier,  for  twelve  dollars.  The  hall  has  been 
repainted  at  a  cost  of  seventy-five  dollars,  and  the  disabled  chairs 
repaired  for  twenty-five  dollars,  making  an  aggregate  outlay  for  the 
two  years  of  five  hundred  and  forty-two  dollars.  When  it  is 
remembered  that  this  amount  does  not  include  the  "running 
expenses"  nor  the  cost  of  minor  improvements,  such  as  the  covering 
of  the  books  in  the  library,  the  rebinding  of  some  of  them,  the 
hanging  of  curtains  in  the  library  windows,  and  others,  it  will  be 
seen  how  ample  are  Wrightonia's  resources.  Composed  of  energetic 
and  loyal  members,  she  has  but  to  see  a  want  to  have  it  supplied. 
For  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  she  has  spread  her  banner  to  the 
breeze  and  a  loyal  band  of  heroes  has  ever  been  found  gathered 
under  it.  Her  triumphs  have  been  many  and  well-earned.  At 
times  has  come  the  chagrin  of  defeat,  but  the  remembrance  of  the 
victories  has  kept  away  depression.  Her  growth  has  kept  pace  with 
favoring  circumstances.  Starting'  with  but  a  score  of  workers,  she 
has  enrolled,  through  the  years,  three  thousand,  and  boasts  of  a 
term-membership  of  nearly  two  hundred.  Her  library  has  been 
enlarged  and  her  hall  beautified.  With  new  chandeliers  and  carpet, 
the  probable  improvements  of  the  coming  year,  Wrightonian  Hall 
will  surpass  in  beauty  any  other  in  our  State.  This  year,  1882-3, 
the  quarter  centennial  of  the  Society's  existence  should  be  marked 
by  such  improvements. 


to 


142  HISTORY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

INTER-SOCIETY  CONTESTS. 


1858.  Debate:   "Resolved,  That  compulsory  attendance  is  bene- 
ficial."    Affirmative,  Peter  Harper,  J.   T.   Ridlon,  Philadelphians ; 
negative,  P.  R.  Walker,  J.  II.  JBurnharn,  Wrightonians.     In  addition 
to  the   debate,  there  were   on   the   programme,  papers  and  music. 
The  debate,  however,  was  the  only  point  contested  and  decided  by 
judges.     The  debate  was  won  by  the  Wrightonians.     This  contest 
was   held  in  July.      The   time   was    changed    the    next    year    to 
December. 

1859.  Debate:    " Resolved,  That  public  opinion  ought  to  restrict 
a  teacher  from  expressing  his  political  sentiments  freely  on  public 
occasions."      Affirmative,    P.     R.    Walker    and    D.    G.  Ingraham, 
Wrightonians ;  negative,  Howell  and  Little,  Philadelphians.     Misses 
Town  and  Clark  read  the  Oleastellus,  and   Misses  Washburn   and 
Peterson,  the  Ladies'  Garland.     The  judges  awarded  both  debate 
and  paper  to  the  Wrightonians. 

1860.  Debate:  "Resolved,  That  manual-labor  schools  are  founded 
on  correct  principles,  and  are  practicable."    Affirmative,  H.  B.  Norton 
and  I.  B.  Kellogg,  Wrightonians;   negative,  Edwin  Waite  and  A.  B. 
Keagle,  Philadelphians.      The  Ladies'*  Garland  was  read  by  Misses 
Sprague  and  Whiteside;  the  Oleastellus  by  Misses  Curtis  and  Baker. 
The  judges  awarded  the  debate  to  the  Wrightonians,  the  paper  to  the 
Philadelphians.     In  this,  as  in  previous  contests,  the  literary  exercises 
were  interspersed  with  pieces  ol  music,  but  the  latter  formed  no  part 
of  the  contest. 

1861.  No  contest. 

1862.  Debate:  "Resolved,  That  the  labors  of  Pestalozzi  in  the 
educational  field  have  been  of  more  value  to  mankind  than  those  of 
Horace  Mann."      Affirmative,  L.  Kellogg  and  A.  McClure,  Wright- 
onians;  negative,  E.  F.  Bacon  and  J.  II.  Thompson,  Philadelphians. 
Wrightonian  vocal  music,  a  quartette  by  Misses  McCambridge  and 
Jones,  and  Messrs  Hill  and  J.  W.  Cook.      The  Philadelphia!^  pre- 
sented a  quartette.      Sarah   Stevenson  and  Mattie  Bun-ill  read   the 
Ladies''  Garland',  Mary  A.  Fuller  and  L.  A.  Stevens,  the  Oleastellus. 
The  judges  awarded  to  the  Wrightonians,  the  debate  and  vocal  music; 
to  the  Philadelphians,  the  paper.     Here  we  first  notice  music  making  a 
point  in  the  contest.     Owing  to  the  absence  of  fixed  rules,  governing 
these  contests,  it  was  customary  to  agree  to  rules  just  before  contest 
time.     This  often  produced  ill  feelings.     Here  is  a  resolution  adopted 
by  the  Wrightonians  in  November,   1860,  which  shows  the  lack  of 
fixed  rules:   "The  Wrightonian  Society  shall  consider  it  their  privilege 
to  object  to  any  judge  appointed  by  the   Philadelphians  to  serve  at 
coming  contest-meeting."     It  is  worthy  of  note,  too,  that  the  above 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  143 

is  the  first  "contest-meeting,"  the  others  being  recorded  as  "joint"' 
meetings. 

1863.  A  disagreement  and  no  contest. 

1864.  Debate :  "Resolved,  That    Thomas   Jefferson    should    be 
ranked  higher  as  a  statesman  than  William  Pitt."     Affirmative,  F.  J. 
Seybold  and  II.  L.  Karr,  Philadelphians ;  negative,  A.  G.  Karr  and 
J.  W.  Cook,  Wrightonians.     Each  Society  furnished  a  quartette.     The 
OleasteUus   was  read  by  Misses  M.  Little   and  M.-  R.   Gorton ;    the 
Ladies'    Garland  by  Misses  B.  Wakefield   and   E.    A.  Pratt.     The 
Wrightonians  won    the  debate;   the  Philadelphians,  the  paper  and 
vocal  music. 

1865.  No  contest.     A  failure  to  agree  upon  a  programme. 

1866.  Debate:   "Ought  the  election  franchise  to  be  restricted  to 
such  persons  as  can  read  and  write  understandingly?"      Affirmative, 
James  S.  Stevenson,  Lewis  Goodrich,  Wrightonians;  negative,  Gifford 
S.  Robinson,  John  R.  Edwards,  Philadelphians.     Instrumental  music, 
Lill   Pearson,  Pliiladelphian;    Mary  R.  Gorton,  Wrightonian.     The 
Ladies'  Garland  was  read  by  Mrs.  Janette  E.  Gorham  and  Miss  Annie 
M.  Edwards;    the  OleasteUus,  by  Emma  T.  Robinson  and  Cora  Val- 
entine.    Pliiladelphian  trio,  Myra  G.  Overman,  Eurania  Gorton,  and 
Laura  Fulwiler;    Wrightonian  quartette,  Misses  Moss  and  Howard, 
Messrs.  Kleckner  and  Goodrich.     The  Wrightonians  won  the  paper, 
vocal  music,  and  instrumental  music.      The  Philadelphians  won  the 
debate. 

1867.  Debate:   "Should  the    congress    of   the    United    States 
regulate  suffrage  in  the  States?"     Affirmative,  Ben  C.  Allensworth 
and  George  G.  Manning,  Wrightonians.     Negative,  Loring  A.  Chase 
and   Charles  H.    Fiske,    Philadelpians.     Instrumental   music,  Kate 
Anderson,    Pliiladelphian;    Fannie    Smith,    Wrightonian.      Misses 
Barker  and  Nellie  Galusha  read  the  Ladies'  Garland;  Misses  Benton 
and  Lou  C.  Allen  the  OleasteUus.     The  Pliiladelphian  vocal  music, 
a  duet,  by  Minnie  Boyden  and  Julia  M.  Rider;  the  Wrightonian,  a 
quartette,  by  Messrs.   Kleckner,  Waterman,   Smith,   and  Manning. 
The  judges  awarded  the  paper  to  the  Wrightonians,  the  debate  and 
music  to  the  Philadelphians. 

1868.  Debate:   " Resolved,  That  Maximilian's  career  in  connec- 
tion with  Mexican  affairs  shows  that  he  possessed  a  noble  character 
as  a  man  and  high  abilities  as  a  statesman."     Affirmative,  R.  Arthur 
Edwards  and  W.  C.  Griffith,  Philadelphians ;    negative,  W.  G.  Myer 
and  Ben.   Hunter,  Wrightonians.     Instrumental  duets,  Jennie  Roe 
and  Marian  New,  Wrightonians;  Fannie  Smith  and  Onie  Rawlings, 
Philadelphians.     Mary  C.  Owen  and  Flora  Pennell  read  the  Ladies' 
Garland;  Mary  L.   Kimbell  and  Clara  D.    Burns,  the   OleasteUus. 
Yocal  music,  quartettes.     The  paper  and  vocal  music  were  awarded 
to    the    Philadelphians;    debate    and    instrumental    music    to    the 
Wrightouians. 


144  HISTORY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

1869.  The    debate    was    on    the    subject    of    "Free    Trade." 
Affirmative,  H.   F.  Holcomb  and  John  "W.  Gibson,  Wrightonians; 
negative,    B.     W.     Baker    and    S.    Kimlin,    Philadelphians.       The 
instrumental  music  consisted  of  two  duets:    Wrightonians,  Misses 
E.  Kingsley  and  Fannie  Thomas,  piano;  Philidelphians,  Messrs.  J. 
M.  Trimble  and  T.  A.  H.  Norman,  violins.     The  Oleastellus,  Alice 
C.  Chase   and   Isabel   S.    Houston.      The   Ladies'    Garland,    Alice 
Emmons   and   Dell   Cook.     Yocal   music:    Wrightonian,  a   trio   by 
Misses  G.  Dietrich  and  F.  Smith,  and  Mr.  J.  Miner;  Philadelphia!), 
a  solo  by  Mary  Hawley.     The   oration  for  the  Wrightonians  was 
omitted  on  account  of  the  sickness  of  their  orator,   W.  II.  Smith. 
The  Philadelphian  oration  was  delivered  by  R.  A.  Edwards. 

The  victory  in  the  debate,  vocal  and  instrumental  music,  was 
awarded  to  the  Wrightonians.  The  paper  was  awarded  to  the 
Philadelphians.  It  is  probably  worthy  of  note,  that  the  debaters 
submitted  the  question  for  debate  to  the  Society,  instead  of  deciding 
it  themselves. 

1870.  Debate:     "Resolved,  That  the   United  States   should   at 
once  pass  a  Free  Banking  Law;  and  that  the  banks  established  under 
this  law   should  be  compelled   to   redeem    their   notes  in  specie." 
Affirmative,  Arthur  C.  Butler,  Edmund   J.   James,    Philadelphians; 
negative,  R.  Morris  Waterman,  Samuel  W.  Paisley,   Wrightonians. 
Instrumental  music,  Philadelphian,  Mrs.  Lillie  Moifatt;  Wrightonian, 
Josephine  Mosley.     The  Ladies'1    Garland  was  read  by  Louise  Ray 
and  Lottie  C.  Blake ;    the  Oleastellus  by  Onie  Rawlings  and  Lida  T. 
Howland.     The   vocal  music  consisted   of  two  duets ;    Mrs.   Lillie 
Moifatt  and  Mary  G.  Eldridge  for  the  Philadelphians,  and  Alice  B. 
Ford,  and  Flora  D.   Brown  for  the  Wrightonians.     W.  C.  Griffith 
was    the     Philadelphian     orator,     and    Henry   F.     Holcomb    the 
Wrightonian. 

The  Philadelphians  gained  the  debate,  instrumental  music, 
paper  and  oration  ;  the  Wrightonians,  the  vocal  music.  A  day  or 
two  before  this  contest,  the  Philadelphians  told  the  judge  appointed 
by  them  that  the  other  judges  would  make  a  great  difference  in  their 
marks,  consequently  that  he  should  do  the  same.  This  judge  marked 
the  Philadelphian  debate  10,  the  Wrightonian  5;  the  Philadelphian 
paper  10,  the  Wrightonian  5,  and  so  on,  thus  making  the  general 
average  of  the  three  judges,  which  up  to  this  time  decided  the 
contest  in  favor  of  the  Philadelphians,  who,  otherwise,  would  have 
been  defeated.  Before  the  next  contest  the  rule  was  changed,  so  that 
one  judge  could  not  out-mark  the  other  two. 

1871.  Debate:  "Is  the  policy  of  making  land  grants  by  general 
government,  in  aid  of  railroads,  a  wise  one?"  Affirmative,  James 
Hovey  and  George  Blount,  Philadelphians;  negative,  J.  M.  Wilson 
and  J.  E.  Lamb,  Wrightonians.  The  instrumental  music  was  given 
by  Miss  Roop,  Wrightonian,  and  Miss  Ware,  Philadelphian.  The 


STATE   NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  145 

Oleastellus  was  read  by  Misses  Franklin  and  Monroe ;  the  Ladies' 
Garland  by  Misses  Gaston  and  Karr.  Miss  Mary  Stroud  sang  for 
the  Wrightonians ;  Misses  Compton  and  Town,  and  Mr.  F.  W. 
Conrad  sang  for  the  Philadelphians. 

The  Wrightonians  won  the  debate  and  vocal  music;  the  Phil- 
adelphians won  the  instrumental  music  and  the  paper.  Shortly 
before  the  contest  the  Philadelphian  orator  was  suspended,  and  the 
Wrightonian  orator,  through  courtesy  to  the  Philadelphians,  refused 
to  give  his  exercise. 

1872.  Debate:    "Hetolwed,  That  it  would  not  be  wise  for  the 
State  of  Illinois  to  pass  a  law  compelling  all  persons  between  the 
ages  of  seven  and  sixteen  years,  not  otherwise  well  instructed,  to 
attend  school  for  at  least  four  months  each  year,  or  for  an  equivalent 
amount  of  time."     Affirmative,  J.  Dickey  Templeton  and  Felix  B. 
Tait,  Philadelphians;    negative,  DeWitt   C.  Roberts  and  E.  R.  E. 
Kimbrough,  Wrightonians.     Libbie  Peers,  Philadelphian,  and  Anna 
Hughes,  Wrightonian,  were  the  contestants  in  instrumental  music. 
The  Ladies'   Garland  was  read  by  Amelia  H.  Kellogg  and  Mary 
Hawley.     The  Oleastellus  was  read  by  Nellie  S.  Edwards  and  Emma 
V.  Stewart.     Each  Society  furnished  a  quartette  for  its  number  of 
vocal  music.     Walter  C.  Lockwood  was  the  Philadelphian   orator, 
and  J.  W.  Smith,  the  Wrightonian. 

The  Philadelphian  Society  won  the  instrumental  music,  and  the 
Wrightonians  the  debate,  the  paper,  the  vocal  music,  and  the 
oration. 

1873.  The  debate    was    on    the   question  of   the  general  gov- 
ernment taking  control  of  the  telegraph    lines.     The   Wrightonian 
disputants  were  R.   S.   Barton  and  E.  R.  Faulkner,  affirmative;  the 
Philadelphia!),  I.  Eddy  Brown  and  J.  N.  Wilkinson,  negative.     The 
contestants  in  instrumental  music  were  Helen  Stone,  Wrightonian; 
Lula  Brown  Philadelphian.     The  Oleastellus  was  read  by  Misses  Pace 
and  Judd.     Misses  Morgan  and  Lillian  DeGarmo  read  the  Ladies* 
Garland.       Julia     Codding    sang   for  the    Wrightonians ;    Ida  L. 
Aldridge  for  the  Philadelphians.    "Mr.  Cushman  was  the  Wrightonian 
orator,  and  Mr.  Conrad  the  orator  of  the  Philadelphians. 

The  Wrightonians  were  successful  in  debate,  paper  and  vocal 
music.  The  Philadelphians  won  the  instrumental  music  and  oration. 

1874.  Debate:   "ResoVoed,  That  the  bill    known    as    the   Civil 
Rights   Bill,  recently  passed  by  the   Senate  of  the  United   States, 
should  become  the  law  of  the  land."     Affirmative,  J.  S.  Shearer  and 
S.  B.  Wadsworth;    negative,  A.  D.  Beckhart  and  C.  O.  Drayton. 
Miss  M.  M.  Butterfield  played  for  the  Philadelphians,  and  Fanny 
Wright  for  the  Wrightonians.     Anna  B.  Simmes  and  Mary  L.  Bass 
edited  the  Philadelphian  paper,  and  Hattie  Smith  and  Agnes  E.  Ball, 
the  Wrightonian  paper.     Lillian  E.  Hanford  was  the  Philadelphian 
vocalist,  and  Lydia  H.  Clark,  the  Wrightonian  vocalist.     The  orator 


14f)  HISTOEY   OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

of  the  Philadelphians  was  Charles  McMurry;  for  the  Wrightonians, 
R.  L.  Barton. 

The  Philadelphians  were  successful  in  debate,  oration,  and  vocal 
music;  the  Wrightonians,  in  paper  and  instrumental  music. 

1875.  Debate:   "Resolved,  That   the  law  of  Congress  directing 
the   resumption  of    Specie  Payment  in    18T9,  in   that  particular,   is 
injurious  to   the  best  interests  of  the  country."     Affirmative,  $LJL_ 
Wood  and  W.    W.    Brittain,  Wrightonians ;    negative,    Stephen  L. 
Spear  and  DeWitt  C.   Tyler,  Philadelphians.     Instrumental  music  for 
the  Wrightonians:  a  duet  by  Lilly  Brown  and  Anna  Pierce;  for  the 
Philadelphians:    a  solo  by  Amelia  Stahl.     The  Oleastellus  was  read 
by  Emma  Corbett  and  Julia  P.   Codding ;  the  Ladies'  Garland  by 
Mary  C.  Edwards  and  Jessie  P.  Codding.     Adelaine  Goodrich  was 
the  Wrightonian  vocalist ;  Miss  L.  E.  Sanders,  Philadelphia!!  vocalist. 
S.  B.  Hursh.  and  C.  Guy  Laybourn    were    the  orators  of  the  Wrigh- 
tonian and  Philadelphian  Societies  respectively. 

The  Wrightonians  won  the  instrumental  and  vocal  music,  and  the 
oration.  The  Philadelphians  won  the  debate  and  paper. 

1876.  Debate:    "Resolved,  That    Chinese    immigration    to    the 
United  States  should  be  prohibited  by  Congress."     Affirmative,  Silas 
Y.  Gillan,   C.  W.   Stevenson,   Wrightonians ;     negative,   George  L. 
Hoffman,   William  C.   Picking,   Philadelphians.      Edward  R.    Hum- 
phries was  the  Philadelphian  instrumentalist ;  Clarence  T.  Hardin  the 
Wrightonian.     Mary  Torrence  and   Mary  A.   Anderson   edited  the 
Ladies'  Garland,  Emily  Wing  and  Frances  M.  Kosier  the  Oleastellus. 
Lillian  S.   Chapman  sang  for  the  Philadelphians  ;  May  Ross  for  the 
Wrightonians.     AVillis    C.     Glidden    gave    the    Philadelphian,    and 
Edward  R.  Swett,  the  Wrightonian  oration. 

The  Philadelphians  received  the  favorable  decision  of  the  judges 
on  debate,  and  instrumental  music ;  the  Wrightonians  on  paper,  vocal 
music  and  oration. 

1877.  Debate:    "Resolved,  That  the  United  States  Government 
should  abolish  all  Protective  Tariff."     Affirmative,  C.  Guy  Laybourn 
and  John  T.   Bowles,  Philadelphians  ;  negative,   Andrew  W.   Elder 
and     William     McCutcheon,     Wrightonians.      Instrumental     music. 
Wrightonian,     May     Ross;     Philadelphian,     Lillian      Peers.       The 
Oleastellus,  Flora  Fuller  and  Mina  C.  Smith.     The  Ladies''  Garland 
by  Helen  L.   Wyckoff  and  Jessie  Dexte'r.     Vocal   music,   Alice   C. 
Bradshaw,  Wrightonian ;  Hattie  J.  Burgess,  Philadelphian.     Silas  Y. 
Gillan  was  the  Wrightonian   orator,   Horace  E.   Powers  the    Phila- 
delphian orator. 

The  Wrightonians  gained  the  debate,  vocal  music,  and  oration ;' 
the  Philadelphians  gained  the  paper  and  instrumental  music. 

1878.  Debate:  "Resolved,   That   the  National  Banking   system 
should  be  abolished."     Affirmative,  Horace  E.  Powers  and  Carlton 
E.  Webster,  Philadelphians;   negative,   Samuel  B.  Hursh,  John  H. 


STATE    NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  147 

Tear,  Wrightonians.  The  contestants  in  instrumental  music  were 
Minnie  G.  Adams,  Philadelphian ;  Hattie  O.  Hayward,  Wrightonian. 
The  Ladies'  Garland  was  read  by  Lettie  J.  Smiley  and  Lou 
M.  Allen ;  the  Oleastellus,  by  Emily  A.  Sherman  and  Daisy  A. 
Hubbard.  Mary  L.  Criswell,  Philadelphian,  and  Anna  Lou  Fisher, 
Wrightonian,  were  the  vocalists.  The  Philadelphian  orator  was 
John  Humphrey;  the  Wrightonian,  Frank  B.  Harcourt. 

The  favorable  decision  of  the  judges  was  given  to  the  Philadel- 
phians on  debate  and  instrumental  music;  to  the  Wrightonians,  on 
paper,  vocal  music,  and  oration. 

1879.  Debate:   "Resolved,  That  General   Grant  should  not  be 
elected  president  of  the  United  States  in  1880."     Affirmative,  Win. 
H.  Chamberlain  and  Austin  C.  Rishel,  Philadelphians,  and  Rudolph 
Reeder  and  James  W.  Adams,  Wrightonians.     The  contestants  in 
instrumental  music  were  Charles  D.  Lufkin,  Wrightonian,  and  David 
A.    Hill,   Philadelphian.     The  Ladies'   Garland  was  read  by  Lida 
Kelly  and  Elizabeth  Glanville;    the  Oleastellus,  by  Beth  Ford  and 
May  Hewett.     Emma  Bookwalter  was  the  Wrightonian  vocalist,  and 
Lizzie  K.  Harried,  the  Philadelphian.     The  orations  were  delivered 
by   John   H.   Tear,  Wrightonian,    and  Jesse  F.  Hannah,  Philadel- 
phian. 

The  favorable  decision  of  the  judges  was  given  to  the  Philadel- 
phians on  debate,  instrumental  music,  vocal  music,  and  oration,  and 
to  the  Wrightonians,  on  paper. 

1880.  Debate:  " 'Resolved,  That  the    United    States   should,    in 
its  tariff  legislation,  adopt  the  principle,  'A  tariff  for  revenue  only." 
Affirmative,    David     W.    Reid,    George     Howell,     Philadelphians ; 
negative,    Elmer    E.    Brown,    James    Y.    McHugh,    Wrightonians. 
Instrumental   solos,    Minnie    B.    Potter,   Philadelphian ;   Myrtie  M. 
Freeman,    Wrightonian.      The    Oleastellus  was  read  by  Jessie  M. 
DeBerard  and  Addie  Gillan ;  the  Ladies'  Garland  by  Lizzie  P.  Swan 
and  Caroline  A.   Humphrey.     Mattie  L.  Beatty,  Philadelpliian,   and 
Margareth  Dalrymple,   Wrightonian,  were  the  vocalists.     James  B. 
Esteo    was   the    Philadelphian    orator,  and   William   H.   Bean,    the 
Wrightonian. 

The  judges  awarded  to  the  Philadelphians  the  debate,  instru- 
mental music  and  oration ;  to  the  Wrightonians,  the  paper  and  vocal 
music. 

1881.  Debate:   "Resolved,  That  the  Irish  people  ought  to  accept 
the  land  bill  as  a  solution  of  the  Irish  land  question."     Affirmative, 
Frank    L.    Williams    and     Murray    M.    Morrison,    Philadelphians; 
negative,  Walter  J.   Watts,  and  John  H.   Fleming,   Wrightonians. 
Instrumental     solos,   Lida    A.     Kelly,     Philadelphian,    and    Sadie 
A.    jSToleman,    Wrightonian.      The    Oleastellus,    Harriet    Scott  and 
Malvina  Y.  Hodgman.      The  Ladies''    Garland,  May    M.   Parsons 
and  Marie  C.  Anderson.    Yocalists,  Jessie  A.  Buckman,  Wrightouian, 


148  HISTORY   OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

and  Lydia  M.  Reed,  Philadelphia!!.     Orations,  "Win.  D.  Edmunds, 
Wrightonian,  and  George  Howell,  Philadelphia!!. 

The  judges  awarded  the  Philadelphians  the  oration,  paper,  and 
instrumental  music;  the  Wrightonians,  the  debate  and  vocal  music. 


INTER-NORMAL  CONTESTS. 


Some  time  ;n  the  latter  part  of  the  fall  term  of  1878,  a  certain 
student  of  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University  suggested  to  a  few 
of  the  leading  society  workers  among  his  school-mates,  the  propriety 
of  inaugurating  annual  contests  between  the  students  of  the  Illinois 
State  Normal  University  and  those  of  the  Southern  Illinois  Normal 
University.  The  suggestion  met  with  universal  approbation,  and 
when  President  Ilewett  was  spoken  to  about  the  matter,  he  readily 
gave  his  consent,  and  approved  the  plan  proposed. 

Accordingly,  on  December  3,  a  meeting  of  all  students  interested 
in  literary  work  was  held  in  Normal  Hall,  to  discuss  the  project. 
William  C.  Ramsey  was  made  chairman,  and  Horace  E.  Powers  stated 
the  object  of  the  meeting.  On  motion,  a  committee  of  five  was 
appointed  to  send  a  challenge  to  the  students  of  the  Southern  Normal. 
As  such  committee,  the  chairman  named  Silas  Y.  Gillan,  Horace  E. 
Powers,  S.  B.  Hursh,  Emily  Sherman  and  Jennie  L.  Wood. 

On  December  4,  the  challenge  was  sent.  The  subsequent  history 
of  the  contests  may  be  gathered  from  the  following: 

NOKMAL,  ILLINOIS,  December  4,  1878. 

The  students  of  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University,  to  those  of  the 
Southern  Illinois  Normal  University,  greeting : 

Recognizing  the  importance  of  the  culture  to  be  derived  from 
what  is  known  as  literary  work,  and  wishing  to  add  a  stimulus  to  such 
work  in  the  two  Normal  Schools  of  Illinois ;  believing  that  both  of 
said  schools  will  be  benefited  by  a  better  acquaintance  with  each 
other ;  and  on  account  of  our  relative  stand  as  Normal  Schools,  being 
debarred  from  participation  in  the  Inter-Collegiate  contests,  in  a 
spirit  of  friendship,  and  not  of  rivalry,  we  hereby  send  you 
a  challenge  for  a  literary  contest,  to  take  place  during  the  school 
week  ending  March  14,  1879,  or  as  near  that  time  as  practicable ; 
said  contest  to  consist  of  a  debate  to  be  participated  in  by  two 
representatives  from  each  school,  an  oration,  an  essay,  a  piece  of 
vocal  music,  and  a  piece  of  instrumental  music  from  each  school. 

We  farther  suggest  the  following  conditions,  subject  to  your 
ratification : 

1.  That  the  contestants  shall  be  bona  fide  pupils  of  the  schools 
they  represent. 

2.  That  the  place  of  holding  the  contest  be  Normal  or  Carbon- 
dale  (to  be  decided  by  mutual  agreement  hereafter). 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  149 

3.  That  the   time   allowed  for  each   exercise    be    as    follows: 
Leaders  on  debate,  fifteen  minutes  each  for  opening,  and  ten  minutes 
each  for  closing;  assistants  on  debate,  twelve  minutes  each;  orations 
and  essays,  twelve  minutes  each. 

4.  That  to  the  contest  meeting  an  admission  fee  be  charged 
sufficient  to  defray  expenses,  including  the  traveling  expenses  of  the 
contestants  and  judges. 

5.  That  the  decision  as  to  the  merits  of  the  exercises  be  left 
to   a    board    of  three  judges,    one   to   be   appointed   by  the   State 
Superintendent,    and   one    by   each   of   the   presidents   of   the   two 
Normal  Schools. 

6.  That  the  persons  who  participate  in   the  first  contest  be  a 
committee    to    draft  a  code   of   regulations   for  a   similar  contest 
annually.  COMMITTEE. 

CARBONDALE,  ILLINOIS,  December  7,  1878. 

The  students  represented  by  the  two  Societies  of  the  Southern 
Illinois  Normal  University,  to  those  of  the  Illinois  State 
Normal  University,  greeting: 

Realizing  equally  with  you  the  importance  of  literary  contests, 
and  recognizing  the  fact  that  such  contests  are  never  without 
beneficial  results,  we  accept  your  challenge  for  a  contest  to  take 
place  during  the  school  week  ending  March  14,  1879,  or  as  near  that 
time  as  may  be  practicable,  with  the  following  modifications : 

That  instead  of  four  debaters,  there  be  only  two ;  and  that  the 
debate  be  limited  to  fifty  minutes,  the  two  opening  speeches  to  be 
fifteen  minutes  each,  and  the  two  closing  ten  minutes  each,  and  in 
place  of  the  two  other  debaters,  there  be  two  declaimers,  one  from 
each  school,  each  declamation  not  to  exceed  ten  minutes ;  and  that 
the  programme  consist  of  an  oration,  an  essay,  a  declamation,  a 
debate,  one  piece  of  instrumental  music,  and  one  piece  of  vocal  music. 
We  propose  this  modification  because  it  will  afford  a  better 
representation  of  society  work.  Being  the  challenged  party,  we 
insist  that  the  contest  be  held  at  Carbondale. 

A.  E.  PARKINSON, 
H.  A.  KIMMELL, 
DORA  A.  LIPE, 
A.  C.  BURNETT, 
S.  H.  NORMAN, 
W.  E.  MANN, 

Committee. 

NORMAL,  ILLINOIS,  December  10,  1878. 

A.  E.  PARKINSON  AND  H.  A.  KIMMELL,  Chairmen  of  Contest  Com- 
mittees, Carbondale,  Illinois. 

Gentlemen:   Your  communication  is  received.      "We  accept  the 
modification  as  to  adding  a  declamation  ;  but  we  think  you  will  agree 


150  HISTORY   OF  THE   ILLINOIS 

with  us  that  it  is  better  to  have  four  speakers  on  debate ;  not  only 
because  such  is  the  customary  plan  in  society  work,  but  also  because 
such  an  arrangement  making  seven  points,  will  obviate  the  possibility 
of  a  tie  in  the  result.  You  will  readily  see  that  counting  seventy-five 
minutes  for  debate,  twenty-four  for  essays,  twenty-four  for  orations, 
twenty  for  declamations,  thirty  for  music,  and  ten  for  recess,  the 
evening's  entertainment  will  not  exceed  three  hours  in  length. 

We  shall  probably  elect  our  contestants  soon,  and  then  they  will 
take  the  place  of  our  committee  in  making  permanent  arrangements 
for  an  annual  contest  between  the  two  schools.  In  the  meantime, 
however,  we  suggest  the  following: 

That,  of  the  proceeds  of  the  contest  each  year,  whatever  remains 
over  and  above  the  expenses  be  divided  equally  between  the  literary 
societies  of  the  school  at  which  the  contest  is  held ;  and  in  case  the 
proceeds  fail  to  pay  the  traveling  expenses  of  the  judges  and 
contestants,  the  deficit  be  made  up  by  the  students  of  the  school  at 
which  the  contest  is  held.  Such  a  plan  will  be  an  incentive  to  the 
students  at  which  the  contest  is  held  to  "work  up"  the  matter  by 
advertising,  etc.  Of  course,  this  is  on  the  presumption  that  when 
once  inaugurated,  the  contests  will  be  held  alternately'  at  Carbondale 
and  Normal. 

It  will  probably  be  necessary  to  have  two  boards  of  judges — one 
for  music,  and  one  for  the  literary  work.  Probably  each  year  two  of 
the  judges  can  be  selected  from  the  residents  at  which  the  contest  is 
held,  thus  necessitating  the  traveling  expenses  of  but  four  judges 
and  seven  contestants,  so  that  the  necessary  expenses  each  year, 
including  advertising  and  the  printing  of  programmes,  will  probably 
not  exceed  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars.  We  feel  confident 
that,  with  judicious  management,  an  audience  of  five  hundred,  or 
more,  can  be  secured  for  such  an  entertainment. 

In  respect  to  the  question  for  debate,  our  rule  here,  in  the  annual 
contests  between  the  two  literary  societies,  is  that  the  challenging 
party  selects  the  question,  and  the  other  takes  choice  of  sides,  within 
a  week  after  receiving  the  question.  This  rule  has  always  been 
found  satisfactory  with  us,  and  we  suggest  the  propriety  of  adopting 
a  similar  plan.  Yery  respectfully, 

SILAS  Y.  GILLAN, 
Chairman  of  Contest  Committee. 
CAKBONDALE,  ILLINOIS,  December  12,  1878. 

MR.  SILAS  Y.  ' GILLAN,  Chairman  of  Contest   Committee,   Normal, 
Illinois. 

Dear  Sir:  Your  communication  is  at  hand.  Committee  met 
and  decided  as  follows : 

1.  That  we  insist  upon  only  one  debater  from  each  school,  for 
these  reasons:  (a)  With  four  debaters,  the  exercises  would  be  four 
hours  long,  exclusive  of  the  time  occupied  in  changing,  which,  at  the 


STATE   NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  151 

lowest  estimate,  would  be  thirty  minutes.  (5)  In  your  first  proposi- 
tion, you  implied  six  points,  and  in  our  reply,  we  implied  the  same 
number.  We  insist  that  the  first  proposition,  as  accepted,  stand. 

2.  That  we  insist  upon  only  one  board  of  judges,  for  the  reasons: 
(a)  If  the  judges  appointed  are  capable  of  judging  the  literary 
exercises,  they  will  be  capable  of  judging  the  music,  (i)  The 
probabilities  are  that  the  attendance  will  not  be  sufficient  to  defray 
so  much  expense. 

The  other  propositions  you  make,  in  regard  to  expenses,  choosing 
your  question,  etc.,  are  agreed  to.  As  soon  as  our  contestants  are 
elected,  they  will  be  the  committee  on  further  arrangements.  Please 
let  us  know  the  question  for  debate  as  soon  as  decided  upon. 

Very  respectfully, 

ARTHUR  E.  PARKINSON, 
Chairman  of  Contest  Committee. 

NORMAL,  ILLINOIS,  December  16,  1878. 

MR.  ARTHUR  E.  PARKINSON,  Chairman  Contest  Committee,  Carbon- 
dale,  Illinois. 

Dear  Sir:  Yours  of  December  12  is  received.  In  reply,  let 
me  say:  1.  The  fact  that  our  challenge  included  only  six  points,  was 
an  oversight.  There  ought  to  be  an  odd  number  of  points,  as  you 
will  no  doubt  admit.  2.  It  was  with  reluctance  that  we  voted  to 
include  the  declamation,  as  the  aim  of  our  Societies  here  is  to  give 
special  prominence  to  original  work.  3.  We  do  not  agree  with 
you  concerning  the  judges.  On  the  contrary,  we  think  the  instances 
extremely  rare  in  which  one  person  is  capable  of  judging  intelligently 
of  musical  and  also  of  literary  performances.  Yet  we  grant  the 
possibility  of  finding  judges  who  are  thus  capable. 

There  seems  to  be  but  three  points  on  which  we  do  not  agree, 
and  we  propose  the  following  compromise :  Having  already  yielded 
to  your  wish  in  regard  to  introducing  the  declamation,  we  shall  also 
yield  the  other  point  in  regard  to  the  judges,  and  agree  to  have  but 
one  board.  We  make  these  concessions,  hoping  that  you  will  be 
so  considerate  as  to  yield  in  the  remaining  point,  and  agree  to  have 
two  debaters  on  each  side;  for  we  deem  it  of  importance  that  the  con- 
test be  inaugurated,  and  we  feel  confident  that  when  once  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  two  schools  come  together,  they  will  be  able  to  adopt 
permanent  regulations  that  will  be  fully  satisfactory  to  both  parties. 

In  regard  to  the  length  of  the  programme,  let  me  say,  at  our 
annual  contests  here,  the  exercises  are  not  unfrequently  three  and 
a  half  to  four  hours  long ;  yet  our  audiences  are  always  large  and 
never  wearied.  With  a  programme  consisting  of  such  a  variety 
of  exercises,  an  audience  may  easily  be  held  for  full  four  hours. 

Very  respectfully, 

SILAS  Y.  GILLAN. 
Chairman  Contest  Committee. 


152  HISTORY   OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

CARBONDALE,  ILLINOIS,  December  18,  187s. 
ME.  SILAS  Y.  GILLAN,  Chairman  of  Contest  Committee. 

Dear  Sir:  Your  letter  is  received.  Committee  met  this  p.  m., 
and  decided  to  yield  in  your  favor  in  regard  to  the  debate.  In  other 
words,  we  agree  to  the  four  debaters,  but  think  the  exercises  will  be 
entirely  too  long  for  a  Carbondale  audience.  Please  send  question 
for  debate  as  soon  as  possible.  According  to  this  programme  there 
will  be  seven  points.  Reply  at  once.  Yours,  etc., 

A.  E.  PARKINSON,  Chairman. 

NORMAL,  ILLINOIS,  January  13,  1879. 
MR.  A.  E.  PARKINSON,  Chairman  of  Contest  Committee. 

Dear  Sir:  We  submit  the  following  subjects  for  debate,  and  ask 
your  debaters  to  select  one  from  them,  and  take  their  choice  of  sides: 

Resolved,  That  the  United  States  Government  ought  to  take 
steps  to  secure  such  a  modification  of  the  treaties  with  China  as 
would  prevent  further  Chinese  immigration. 

Resolved,  That  our'  Government  is  a  league  of  States,  and 
not  a  Nation. 

Resolved,  That  the  present  system  of  National  Banks  should 
be  abolished. 

Resolved,  That  the  United  States  ought  to  adopt  a  system  of 
Free  Trade  with  all  nations. 

A  word  of  explanation  is  perhaps  due  to  you.  We  hope  you 
will  not  think  we  have  intentionally  delayed  the  sending  of  this 
question  for  debate.  We  were  not  elected  until  Wednesday  evening, 
and  did  not  know  the  result  until  Thursday  noon,  on  which  day,  and 
also  on  Friday,  one  of  us  was  sick  and  out  of  school,  so  that  we  did 
not  see  each  other  until  after  mail  time  Saturday  evening. 

We  expect  that  each  of  our  pieces  of  music  will  be  a  solo.  At 
present,  we  can  not  give  you  the  full  list  of  our  representatives,  as 
there  is  a  probability  that  one  of  our  musicians  can  not  serve,  and 
that  we  shall  have  to  elect  another.  The  election  of  essayist  has 
been  postponed  until  to-morrow.  By  next  week  we  shall  be  able  to 
give  you  the  names  of  all. 

Yours  very  truly, 

SILAS  Y.  GILLAN,  Leader  on  Debate. 
HORACE  E.  POWERS,  Assistant.  •"* 

CARBONDALE,  ILLINOIS,  January  21,  1879. 
MR.  SILAS  Y.  GILLAN. 

Dear  Sir:  Yours  of  the  13th  instant  is  at  hand.  I  should 
have  answered  sooner,  but  our  debaters  were  slow  in  selecting  the 
question.  They  decided  to-day  to  accept  the  first  question,  and 
take  the  affirmative  side,  thus  leaving  you  the  negative. 

Yours  truly,  A.  E.  PARKINSON, 

Chairman  Contest  Committee. 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  153 

The  Illinois  State  Normal  vs.  the  Southern  Illinois  Normal,  at 
Carbondale,  Illinois,  Thursday  evening,  March  13,  1879.  Judges, 
lion.  J.  II.  Oberly,  Hon.  M.  Weir,  Hon.  E.  M.  Prince.  Dr.  Robert 
Allyn,  president  of  the  evening.  Programme:  Music;  prayer; 
music;  debate:  "Resolved,  That  the  United  States  Government 
ought  to  take  steps  to  secure  such  a  modification  of  the  treaties  with 
China  as  would  prevent  further  Chinese  immigration."  Affirmative, 
Win.  B.  Train,  Luther  A.  Johnson  (£);  negative,  Silas  Y.  Gillan, 
Horace  E.  Powers  («);  instrumental  solo,  "Rondeau  Brilliante," 
Jeannie  B.  Morrison  (J);  instrumental  solo,  "Liszt's  II  Rhapsodie," 
Minnie  G-.  Adams  (a);  oration,  "Results  of  Doubt,"  Frank 
B.  Harcourt  (a)\  oration,  "Republicanism  in  Europe,"  Arthur  E. 
Parkinson  (&);  music;  essay,  "Let  there  be  Light,"  Dora  A.  Lipe 
(&);  essay,  "Sermons  in  Stones,"  Daisy  Hubbard  (#);  vocal  duet, 
"O'er  Hill,  O'er  Dale,"  Lizzie  Sheppard,  Lizzie  Harned  (5);  vocal 
solo,  "Going  out  with  the  Tide,"  E.  Carl  Webster  (<z);  declamation, 
"The  Maniac,"  Mary  L.  Beecher  (a);  declamation,  "Lost  and 
Found,"  Maggie  Kennedy  (&);  music,  Northern  Normal  (a), 
Southern  Normal  (&).  Decision:  On  debate,  instrumental  music, 
essay,  and  declamation,  the  judges  decided  in  favor  of  the  State 
Normal ;  and  on  oration  and  vocal  music,  they  decided  in  favor  of 
the  Southern  Normal.  Result:  Five  points  to  two  points  in  favor  of 
the  State  Normal. 


CARBONDALE,  January  14,  1880. 
MR.  J.  HANNAH, 

Dear  Sir:  We  submit  the  following  question  for  debate,  viz  : 
"Resolved,  That  the  migration  of  the  African  race  from  the  Southern 
States  will  promote  harmony  among  their  citizens  and  the  prosperity 
of  that  section."  Truly  yours, 

E.  L.  SPRECHER, 
Chairman  of  Committee. 

NORMAL,  ILLINOIS,  January  17,  1880. 

Dear  Sir:  The  question  proposed  for  debate  does  not  seem 
clear  to  us  in  two  points.  There  is  doubt  as  to  the  meaning  of  the 
word  migration.  Do  you  mean  the  migration  of  the  whole  African 
raee,  or  the  present  migration  with  all  the  uncertainties  of  the  future  { 
Second,  we  understand  you  to  say  this  migration,  whatever  it  may 
be,  will  promote  harmony  and  prosperity  in  the  States,  from  which 
the  migration  takes  place.  Is  this  your  meaning?  An  answer  in  the 
form  of  a  revised  statement  would  be  preferable. 

Respectfully, 

JESSE  F.  HANNAH, 
Chairman  Contest  Committee. 


154  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

CABBONDALE,  January  20,  18*0. 
MR.  J.  F.  HANNAH,  Chairman  Contest  Committee : 

Dear  Sir:  Your  letter  concerning  the  question  for  debate  came 
to  hand  to-day.  We  prefer  to  leave  the  question  as  it  stands,  and 
take  the  popular  construction  in  regard  to  the  meaning  of  migration 
of  the  African  race  from  the  Southern  States.  Putting  this  interpre- 
tation upon  the  question,  it  seems  clear  enough  to  us  and  seems  to 
be  in  the  proper  form.  Respectfully, 

CIIAKLES  E.  HULL,  Secretary. 
NORMAL,  ILLINOIS,  January  29,  1880. 
MR.  CHARLES  E.  HULL,  Secretary  Contest  Committee. 

Dear  Sir:  We  have  decided  to  support  the  affirmative  of  the 
question  proposed  for  debate.  Respectfully,  JESSE  F.  HANXAII, 

Chairman  Contest  Committee. 

Second  Annual  Inter-Normal  Contest,  Normal,  Thursday  evening, 
March  11,  1880.  Judges,  S.  S.  Lawrence,  Esq.,  Pontiac,  Illinois; 
William  Hill,  M.  I).,  Bloomington,  Illinois;  T.  T.  Fountain,  Esq., 
DuQuoin,  Illinois.  Programme:  Quartette,  "Carnovale"  (Rosmi), 
Normal  Quartette  Club;  debate,  "Resolved,  That  the  migration  of  the 
African  race  from  the  Southern  States  will  promote  harmony  among 
the  citizens  and  the  prosperity  of  that  section."  Affirmative,  John  H. 
Tear,  Austin  C.  Rishel  (a);  negative,  Charles  E.  Hull,  Lauren  L. 
Bruck;  instrumental  solos,  "Last  Rose  of  Summer,"  Miss  Annie  C. 
Wheeler  (&),  "Le  Dernier  Sourire,"  Miss  Hattie  Potter  (a).  Recess. 
Essays,  "Want  Stimulates  to  Action,"  Henry  A.  Kimmel  (&);  "Jean 
Ingelow,"  Miss  Sarah  Brooks  («);  vocal  solos,  "In  Quests  Simplice," 
Miss  Mary  B.  Walker  (&);  "Who's  at  my  Window?"  Miss  Emma 
Bookwalter  (a);  orations,  "The  Desire  of  Eminence,"  Harold  W. 
Lowrie  (6);  "Just  Beyond,"  Jesse  F.  Hannah  (a);  declamations,  "No 
Sects  in  Heaven,"  Miss  Alice  Krysher  (&);  "Rock  me  to  Sleep,"  Miss 
Addie  Gillan  (dr.);  quartette,  "In  this  Hour  of  Softened  Splendor," 
Normal  Quartette  Club.  State  Normal  (a);  Southern  Normal  (b). 
Decision:  State  Normal  won  the  whole  seven  points. 


The  following  persons  had  the  honor  of  being  elected  for  the 
third  Inter-Normal  contest:  Debate,  David  W.  Reid  and  James  Y. 
McIIugh;  essay,  James  B.  Estee;  declamation,  Robert  Elder;  vocal 
music,  Margareth  Dairy rnple;  instrumental  music,  Minnie  B.  Potter; 
oration,  George  Howell. 

NORMAL,  January  12,  1881. 
To  DR.  ALLYN,  President  of  the  Southern  Normal  University : 

We  send  this  question  for  contest  debate:  "Resolved,  That  the 
I'nited  States,  in  its  tariff  legislation,  should  adhere  to  the  principle 
of  a  Protective  Tariff."  Respectfully, 

(Telegram.)  NORMAL  DEBATERS. 


STATE    NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  155 


CABBONDALB,  ILLINOIS,  January  14, 
E.  0.  HE  \VKTT,  LL.  D.,  President  Illinois  State  Normal  University, 

Normal,  Illinois. 

Dear  Sir:  I  yesterday  received  a  telegram,  purporting  to  be 
from  the  contest  debaters  of  your  University,  stating  a  question  for 
debate  and  implying  a  desire  for  an  answer. 

I  am  at  a  loss  about  replying.  But  as  our  students  have  made  no 
movement  in  the  matter  of  any  future  contests,  and  just  now  seem 
wholly  indifferent  about  doing  so,  —  indeed,  appear  rather  indisposed 
to  move,  —  I  have  deemed  it  best  to  say  so  much  that  you  may  com- 
municate it  to  your  contestants. 

I  may  add  that  my  opinion,  personally,  is  decidedly  averse  to 
more  contests  conducted  as  the  two  already  had  have  been  carried 
on.  I  have  scarcely  named  it  to  our  faculty,  but  from  casual  words 
dropped  from  time  to  time,  I  infer  their  opinions  coincide  with  mine. 
Our  students,  as  yet,  have  made  no  arrangements  for  a  contest,  and 
when  I  mentioned  the  fact  of  the  telegram,  seemed  wholly  apathetic. 
I  am,  very  respectfully  and  obediently, 

ROBERT  ALLYN. 

ARMY  LIST. 


The  following  named  persons,  formerly  teachers  or  students  in 
the  Normal  University,  were  in  the  Union  army: 

TEACHERS — NORMAL    DEPARTMENT. 

Charles  E.  Hovey,  .  .     Brevet  Major-General,  U.  S.  Vol. 

(a) Dr.  E.  R.  Roe,  .  Lieut.  Col.,  33d  111.  Inf. 

Leander  H.  Potter,  .  .     Lieut.  Col.,  33d  111.  Inf. 

Ira  Moore,  .  .  Capt,  Co.  G,  33d  111.  Inf. 

Julien  E.  Bryant,  .  .     Lieut.  Col.,  1st  Miss.,  (C.  V.) 

*Dr.  Sainl.  Willard,  .  Surgeon,  97th  111.  Inf. 

STUDENTS — NORMAL    DEPARTMENT. 

Edward  Allyn,  .  .     Private,  Co.  A,  33d  111.  Inf. 

Jas.  II.  Beach,    .  .  Private,  Co.  H,  20th  111.  Inf. 

*Wm.  C.  Baker,  .  .     Ord.  Sergt,  Co.  A,  33d  111.  Inf. 

Eugene  F.  Baldwin,  .  Ord.  Sergt.,  Co.  B,  12th  Ind.  Inf. 

Wm.  A.  Black,  .  .     Private,  Co.  — ,  87th  III.  Inf. 

James  II.  Baily,  .  Gunboat  Service. 

(J)Charles  Bovee,  .  .     Corp.,  Co.  A,  33d  111.  Inf. 

James  M.  Burch,  .  Capt.,  Co..—,  94th  111.  Inf. 

Lorenzo  D.  Bovee,  .  .     Private,  Co.  E,  100th  111.  Inf. 

George  M.  Berkley,  .  Corp.,  Co.  C,  13th  111.  Inf. 

Joseph  M.  Chase,  .  .     Corp.,  Co.  — ,  3d  111.  Cav. 

Wilson  M.  Chalfant,  .  Private,  Co.  — ,  104th  111.  Inf. 

(tf)Charles  M.  Clark,  .     Quarter-master,  2d  La.,  (C.  V.) 


156 


HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 


(d)Wm.  P.  Carter, 

*J.  W.  Cox, 

Lewis  P.  Cleavelaud, 

fPeter  T.  Crist, 

Elmer  F.  Clapp, 

Jesse  Cunningham, 

(0)Ephraim  D.  Carrothers, 

John  T.  Curtis, 

J.  Harvey  Dutton, 

(/YWm.  H.  H.  DeBoice, 

(<7)Wm.  Downer, 

^Valentine  Denning,  . 

James  R.  Fyffe, 

Win.  M.  Fyffe, 

Wm.  H.  H.  Fuller, 


C.  Judson  Gill, 
James  Gilbraeth, 
E.  Aaron  Gove, 
(A)Francis  M.  Gastman, 
Wm.  A.  Gunn, 
fdiarles  Hayes, 
Peter  Harper, 
John  H.  Hume, 
John  M.  House, 
Otho  H.  Hibbs,  . 
*Ebenezer  D.  Harris, 
Charles  E.  Huston, 
Wm.  W.  Hall, 
Chas.  D.  Irons,  . 
Duncan  G.  Ingraham, 
Hiram  W.  Johnson, 
(^)Fred  B.  Jones, 
(^Christopher  Krebs, 
John  D.  Kirkpatrick, 
A.  B.  Keagle, 
Matthew  K.  Kell, 
Wm.  Law, 
Dr.  Jehu  Little, 
(&)Alvin  T.  Lewis, 
Clark  Leal, 
*Moses  I.  Morgan, 
(Z)Isaac  N.  McCuddy, 
Joseph  K.  McGregor, 
fGeorge  Marsh, 


Corp.,  Co.  C,  40th  111.  Inf. 
Private,  Co.  C,  33d  111.  Inf. 
Ord.  Sergt.,  1st  Ala.,  (C.  Y.) 
Private,  Co.  F,  68th  111.  Inf. 
Private,  Co.  C,  76th  111.  Inf. 
Private,  Co.  E,  78th  111.  Inf. 
Sergt.,  Co.  — ,  20th  111.  Inf. 
Hospital  Steward,  97th  111.  Inf. 
1st  Lieut,  Co.  A,  33d  111.  Inf. 
Private,  Co.  A,  33d  111.  Inf. 
Sergt.,  Co.  E,  70th  111.  Inf. 
Private,  Co.  G,  4th  111.  Cav. 
2d  Lieut.,  Co.  A,  33d  111.  Inf. 
Private,  Yaughn's  Springfield  Bat. 
1st  Lieut,  Co.    G,  84th  111.   Inf. 

Detailed  as  Signal  Officer  on 

Gen.  McCook's  Staff. 
Capt,  Co.  B,  33d  111.  Inf. 
Private,  Co.  — ,  3d  111.  Cav. 
Adjutant,  33d  111.  Inf. 
Corp.,  Co.  A,  33d  111.  Inf. 
Sergt.,  Co.  K,  8th  111.  Inf. 
Private,  Co.  K,  8th  111.  Inf. 
Sergt,  Co.  G,  4th  Wis.  Inf. 
Corp.,  Co.  — ,  llth  111.  Cav. 

110th  111.  Inf. 

Private,  Co.  E,  94th  111.  Inf. 
Corp.,  Co.  A,  33d  111.  Inf. 
Private,  Co.  A.,  33d  111.  Inf. 
Sergt,  Co.  — ,  115th  111.  Inf. 
Private,  Co.  — ,  77th  111.  Inf. 
Corp.,  Co.  B,  33d  111.  Inf. 
Sergt,  Co.  E,  8th  111.  Inf. 
Private,  Co.  — ,  77th  111.  Inf. 
Private,  Co.  B,  8th  111.  Inf. 
Private,  Co.  B,  93d  111.  Inf. 
1st  Lieut,  Co.  D,  117th  111.  Inf. 
Private,  Co.  D,  49th  111.  Inf. 
Com.  Sergt,  47th  111.  Inf. 
1st  Asst.  Surgeon,  24th  Mo.  Inf. 
Corp.,  Co.  A,  33d  111.  Inf. 
Private,  Co.  A,  118th  111.  Inf. 
Capt,  Co.  B,  33d  111.  Inf. 
Corp.,  Co.  A,  33d  111.  Inf. 

— ,  Irish  Brigade. 
Private,  Co.  K,  69th  111.  Inf. 


STATE   NORMAL    UNIVERSITY. 


157 


Win.  W.  Murphy, 
G.  Hyde  Norton, 
*Marvin  J.  Nye, 
Edwin  Philbrook, 
Truman  J.  Pearee, 
*  James  G.  Pearce, 
Henry  C.  Prevost, 
Edward  M.  Pike, 
Henry  H.  Pope, 
George  Peter, 
Richard  R.  Puffer, 
Orange  Parret, 
Logan  II.  Roots, 
Rasselas  P.  Reynolds, 
Geo.  McClellan  Rex, 
Thomas  M.  Roberts,  . 
*John  II.  Rhomack, 
J.  M.  Stine, 
•f-Justiri  S.  Spaulding, 
Gilbert  L.  Seybold,    . 
Byron  Sheldon,  . 
Samuel  Smith, 
(m)  John  son  W.  Straight,    . 
Edwin  Scranton, 
Frederick  J.  Seybold, 
fWm.  A.  II.  Tilton,  . 
John  J.  Taylor,  . 
John  H.  Walker, 
John  X.  Wilson, 
Chas.  E.  Wilcox, 
James  E.  Willis, 
Peleg  R.  Walker, 
Chas.  W.  Wills, 
Theophilus  F.  Willis, 
Wm.  Walton, 
Cvrus  I.  Wilson, 
J."  R.  Walker,      . 


Sergt.,  Co.  — ,  87th  111.  Inf. 
Capt.,  Co.  A,  33d  111.  Inf. 
Private,  Co.  A,  33d  111.  Inf. 
Quarter-master  Sergt.,  8th  111.  Inf. 
Private,  Co.  A,  33d  111.  Inf. 
Private,  Ottawa  Battery. 
Sergt.  Major,  94th  111.  Inf. 
Ord.  Sergt.,  Co.  A,  33d  111.  Inf. 
Capt,  Co.  D,  33d  111.  Inf. 
Ord.  Sergt.,  Co.  A,  43d  111.  Inf. 
Private,  Co.  E,  8th  111.  Inf. 
Private,  Co.  B,  77th  111.  Inf. 
Quarter-master,  81st  111.  Inf. 
Corp.,  Co.  A,  33d  111.  Inf. 
Private,  Co.  I,  33d  111.  Inf. 

,  Co.  B,  47th  111.  Inf. 

Private,  Co.  G.,  68th  Ohio  Inf. 
Private,  Co.  M,  16th  111.  Cav. 
Private,  Co.  K,  8th  111.  Inf. 
Private1,  Co.  A,  33d  111.  Inf. 

,  ,  111.  Inf. 

Private,  Co.  A,  33d  111.  Inf. 
Private,  Co.  A,  33d  111.  Inf. 
Miss.  Marine  Brigade. 

, ,  111.  Inf. 

Ord.  Sergt,  68th  111.  Inf. 

,  Co.  K,  20th  111.  Inf. 

Private,  Co.  E,  58th  111.  Inf. 
1st  Lieut.,  Co.  F,  33d  111.  Inf. 
Sergt.  Major,  33d  111.  Inf. 
Private,  Co.  F,  87th  111.  Inf. 
2d  Lieut,  Co.  K,  92d  111.  Inf. 
Capt.,  Co.  — ,  103d  111.  Inf. 
Private,  Co.  C,  llth  111.  Inf. 

«  •     III.     1111. 

,  ,  111.  Inf. 

Capt.,  Co.  — ,  28th  111.  Inf. 


TEACHERS MODEL  SCHOOL. 


(^Joseph  G.  ITowell, 
*J.  Howard  Burnham, 

Franklin  B.  Augustus, 

Joshua  Baily, 

I  John  G.  Dietrich, 

f  Joseph  T.  Davisoii. 
11 


1st  Lieut.,  Co.  K,  8th  111.  Inf. 
.     Capt.  Co.  A,  33d  111.  Inf. 

STUDENTS — MODEL  SCHOOL. 

Private,  Co.  A,  33d  111.  Inf. 
.  '  Ord.  Sergt.,  Co.  B,  73d  111.  Inf. 

Private,  Co.  — ,  68th  111.  Inf. 
.  Sergt,  Co.  F,  68th  111.  Inf. 


158  HISTORY   OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

Arthur  H.  Dillon,  .  Private,  Co.  A,  33d  111.  Inf. 

ITlysses  D.  gddy,  .  .     1st  Lieut.,  4th  K  Y.  Art. 

Richard  Huxtable,  .  Private,  Co.  H,  77th  111.  Inf. 

William  Hogue,    '  .  .     Private,  Co.  G,  69th  HI.  Inf. 

Jas.  F.  Hough,    .  .  ,  ,  33d  111.  Inf. 

tRobert  McCart,  .  .     Sergt,  Co.  G,  68th  111.  Inf. 

-  Mills,  .  .  ,  ,  111.  Inf. 

0) William  A.  Pearce,  .     Private,  Co.  A,  33d  111  Inf. 

f Edward  L.  Price,  .  Corp.,  Co.  F,  68th  111.  Inf. 

Myron  J.  Peterson,  .  .     Private,  Co.  E,  75th  HI.  Inf. 

fFrancis  S.  Eearden,  .  Corp.,  Co.  G,  68th  HI.  Inf. 

REFERENCES. 

*Resigned  or  honorably  discharged,  on  account  of  continued  ill  health. 

fThree  months'  service. 

(rf)Disabled  by  wounds  at  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  and  resigned. 

(ft)Disabled  by  five  wounds,  and  honorably  discharged. 

(c)Mortally  wounded  at  Milliken's  Bend,  Louisiana,  June  7,  1863. 

(d)Disabled  by  wounds  at  Shiloh,  and  honorably  discharged. 

(e)Killed  at  the  siege  of  Fort  Donelson. 

(/)Died  in  hospital  at  Ironton,  Missouri,  February,  1862. 

(^)Died  July  23, 1862. 

(^)Died  in  camp,  on  Black  River,  Missouri,  March  23,  1862. 

(i)Reported  killed  at  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  May,  23, 1863. 

(J)Disabled  by  wounds  at  Donelson  and  Shiloh,  and  honorably  discharged. 

(fc)Killed  at  Wilkinson's  Landing,  Mississippi.  August  4,  1862. 

(Z)Died  in  hospital  at  Ironton,  Missouri,  October,  1861. 

(m)Lpst  an  arm  in  battle,  and  returned  to  Normal. 

(n)Killed  at  the  siege  of  Fort  Donelson. 

(o)Killed  at  the  battle  of  Jackson,  Mississippi,  July  12,  1863. 

RECAPITULATION. 

Commissioned  officers,  27;    non-commissioned  officers,  83;    privates,  45;    niuk 
unknown,  12. 


REMINISCENCES. 


ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  EAKLT  TIMES. 

One  of  our  early  peculiarities  was  the  possession  of  ninety  acres 
of  land  for  a  model  farm,  and  the  existence  of  the  idea  that  agricul- 
tural chemistry,  if  no  more,  was  to  be  taught  in  the  institution. 
With  the  laudable  desire  to  spread  a  little  agricultural  knowledge 
over  as  large  a  surface  as  possible,  the  Board  managed  to  secure  a 
course  of  lectures  on  chemistry,  with  the  intention  of  making,  event- 
ually, some  kind  of  universal  application  of  the  principles  to  the 
agricultural  improvement  of  the  State,  through  the  knowledge 
infused  or  injected  into  the  Normal  School.  A  lecturer  was  therefore 
employed,  who  gave  us  highly  interesting  discourses  upon  the 
principles  of  chemistry.  He  laid  down  the  law  at  a  galloping  pace, 
took  us  below  the  crust  of  the  earth  and  beyond  the  planetary  bodies 
in  a  remarkably  short  time,  pouring  out  knowledge  at  the  rate  of 
no  one  knows  how  many  volumes  per  month. 

Had  we  all  been  short-hand  reporters,  and  had  we  been  given 
time  to  write  out  and  study  his  information,  it  is  quite  probable 
we  might  have  acquired  some  knowledge  of  the  great  science  of 
chemistry,  and  might  at  some  future  day,  when  teaching  in  the  rural 
districts,  have  given  the  world  some  benefit  from  the  lightning  calcu- 
lations. But  as  we  knew  nothing  of  the  tricks  of  short-hand  writing, 
and  were  not  even  allowed  to  take  notes,  and  had  no  breathing  spells 
allowed  for  that  purpose,  it  naturally  happened  that  the  old  adage 
pertaining  to  things  that  go  in  at  one  ear  and  out  at  another,  had 
pertinent  application.  After  a  number  of  weeks  of  this  treatment, 
some  one,  possibly  one  of  our  hard-working  drill  masters,  with  a 
weary  experience  of  our  general  dullness,  suggested  that  in  all  prob- 
ability, the  pupils  were  not  fully  appreciating  the  magnificent  ideas 
cast  before  their  feeble  understandings.  But  our  remarkable  lecturer, 
who  fully  understood  his  own  teachings,  believed  he  had  been 
so  careful  in  his  statements,  and  had  made  his  way  so  remarkably 
straight  and  plain  that  the  school  had  certainly  mastered  the  subject 
as  far  as  he  had  progressed,  and  refused  to  believe  there  was  any 
doubt  upon  the  subject. 


160  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

It  was  then  suggested  that  in  order  to  test  our  knowledge,  a 
written  examination  be  sprung  upon  us  without  warning,  and  that 
the  result  would  show  our  ignorance,  though  it  might  not  prove  his 
failure  to  give  us  an  opportunity  to  learn.  The  lecturer  at  once  fell 
into  the  trap,  if  trap  there  was.  We  were  provided  with  blank 
paper  in  the  ordinary  way,  and  a  list  of  questions  was  propounded 
in  the  ordinary  way.  In  his  anxiety  to  prove  our  thoroughness,  he 
gave  but  a  few  simple  questions.  The  latter  were  in  many  instances 
answered  correctly,  but  as  the  pupils  might  have  learned  these  points 
through  general  sources  of  information,  the  real  test  was  considered 
to  be  the  answers  to  questions  of  a  technical  nature.  These  were 
generally  so  far  above  the  pupil's  comprehension  that  very  little 
stationery  was  spoiled  by  any  attempt  at  answering,  and  the  paper, 
like  our  minds,  came  out  of  the  ordeal  as  blank  as  before.  One 
question  I  shall  never  forget,  though  the  proper  answer  has  not  been 
found  in  twenty  years  of  extensive  reading,  "What  is  Allotropism?" 
Only  three  or  four  attempted  to  grapple  with  this  terrible  fiend. 
One  believed  it  a  system  of  medicine  in  opposition  to  homeopathy; 
one  believed  it  a  species  of  extinct  mammalia;  and  one  did  actually 
show,  by  his  answer,  that  the  word  had.  been  railroaded  into  some 
previous  lecture.  I  shall  never  forget  the  expression  of  our  lecturer's 
face,  as  he  read  these  answers  which  were  to  be  taken  as  evidence 
of  his  admirable  system,  and  which  gave  proof  so  conclusive  that 
the  lecturer's  platform  was  after  that  generally  vacant  during  the 
s  of  the  Normal. 


Another  theory  was  tested  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  school,  but 
it  never  came  to  a  full  and  final  end  in  my  time,  and  this  was  the 
idea  that  each  and  every  person  can  be  made  a  musician,  or  a  teacher 
of  music.  Some  of  the  members  of  the  State  Board  went  so  far  as 
to  refuse  to  believe  a  pupil  should  be  allowed  to  graduate  unless  he 
was  able  to  teach  music  and  lead  in  singing.  Prof.  C.  M.  Cady,  of 
Chicago,  was  employed,  with  strict  instructions  to  spare  no  pains  to 
prove  the  correctness  of  the  theory  of  the  existence  of  universal 
musical  ability.  He  divided  the  school  into  four  sections.  "A"  was 
made  up  of  good  singers,  those  who  had  good  voices,  and  also  could 
read  music  readily  by  sight.  "JB"  included  moderately  well-informed 
singers,  and  those  who  were  capable  of  being  rapidly  advanced. 
"C"  comprised  all  with  a  natural  ear  for  music;  those  whose 
voices  needed  training  to  fit  them  for  a  place  in  the  upper  classes. 
According  to  popular  report,  section  "D"  was  made  up  of  "birds 
that  couldn't  sing,  and  that  could  never  be  made  to  sing."  This 
class  was  small,  but  desperate.  It  labored  zealously  to  grasp  the 
rudiments  of  the  grand  art,  but  its  best  efforts  were  failures,  and  it 
became,  in  the  course  of  a  year  or  so,  the  laughing  stock  of  the  entire 
school.  Being  an  early  and  constant  member  of  this  class,  I  have  a 


STATE   NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  161 

right  to  mention  its  woes  and  tribulations,  and  to  observe  that  it 
finally  graduated  from  the  pursuit  of  knowledge  under  those 
difficulties,  by  rising  in  a  body  and  leaving  the  hall  when  the  music 
hour  arrived, — no  permission  being  asked  or  given, — it  being  tacitly 
conceded  that  the  pet  theory  of  universal  musical  training  had 
broken  under  the  strain. 

If  any  have  never  heard  of  the  great  and  good  Prof.  Washington 
Irving  Vescellius,  or  the  great  American  card  writer,  they  would 
thank  me  for  the  information  that  he  was  the  first  "professor" 
employed  in  the  Normal 'University.  Before  his  time,  down  to  a 
somewhat  later  date,  all  our  instructors  were  teachers,  and  they  were 
unsparing  in  ridiculing  the  ordinary  professors  of  the  State.  How 
the  title  ever  took  root  here,  after  our  experience  with  the  great 
Vescellius,  passes  my  humble  comprehension.  This  remarkable 
professor  gave  general  writing  lessons  to  the  whole  school,  much 
after  the  fashion  of  the  agricultural  chemistry  class.  Under  his 
tuition,  all  the  students  were  to  be  brought  to  the  highest  style  of 
penmanship,  and  after  graduation,  were  to  be  prepared  to  compete 
with  other  American  card  writers,  and  might  be  supposed  capable  of 
conducting  an  evening  writing  school.  This  accomplishment,  when 
added  like  a  mansard  roof  to  the  ability  to  teach  music,  would 
effectually  dispense  with  the  traveling  professor,  whose  cards 
displaying  impossible  doves  and  eagles  are  hung  up  in  the  postoffices 
and  other  public  resorts,  and  with  the  above-mentioned  musical 
accomplishment,  render  writing  and  singing  teachers  extinct  races, 
only  to  be  met  with  in  the  lightest  of  light  literature  of  the  day. 
Professor  Washington  Irving  Yescellius  was  considerably  inflated  by 
the  promotion  thus  accorded  to  his  merit,  gave  his  whole  soul  to  the 
work,  and  delighted  himself  and  the  school  by  the  most  brilliant 
blackboard  exercises.  Upon  one  unfortunate  occasion  he  told  the 
school  the  lesson  of  the  day  was  to  be  the  "  shyrographic  curve," 
and  the  general  subject  of  "shyrography."  I  believe  the  gentleman 
wondered  why  this  particular  lesson  proved  so  amusing  to  the  school, 
and  that  he  believed  himself  a  much  injured  person,  when  the  faculty 
soon  after  dispensed  with  his  further  services. 


Music  and  penmanship  were  to  be  supplemented  by  the  elegant 
accomplishment  of  drawing,  and  we  were  engaged  three  hours  each 
week  in  this  delightful  pastime.  Our  instructor  was  a  sedate  Episco- 
pal clergyman,  whose  home  was  at  Springfield.  lie  believed  in 
training  all  the  faculties,  and  was  anxious  we  should  acquire  proper 
ideas  of  perspectives,  and  lines,  and  shades,  and  shadows,  and 
become  experts  in  some  one  branch  of  this  delightful  art.  He  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  teaching  the  construction  of  capital  letters  on  a 


162  HISTORY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

large  scale,  giving  blackboard  exercises  to  the  whole  school  by 
sections,  in  hopes,  I  suppose,  that  we  might  some  day  compete  with 
sign  painters.  I  remember  that  when  his  class  was  examined  at  the 
close  of  the  winter  term  in  1860,  our  beloved  professor  requested 
section  "C"  to  give  an  illustration  of  the  method  of  constructing 
the  letter  "E."  History  compels  me  to  remark  that  several  of  his 
pupils  had  attained  such  proficiency  that  they  certainly  were  fully 
worthy  of  taking  rank  with  second-class  sign  painters,  and  their 
capital  letters  were  really  almost  capital  specimens  of  art. 

Our  Mr.  Hewett  was  perhaps  as  much  given  to  bright  sayings 
and  happy  retorts  in  those  days  as  he  is  at  present,  and  on  this 
occasion  he  perpetrated  one  of  his  very  best.  Passing  in  review  in 
front  of  the  long  blackboard  in  company  with  our  professor,  he 
quietly  remarked:  "Section  C  has  performed  to-day  with  great 
ease."  (E's.)  Our  quiet  teacher,  not  given  to  wit  and  humor,  agreed 
with  a  gentle  laugh,  and  through  his  mind  there  galloped  no  idea 
of  the  peculiar  humor  of  the  remark.  During  the  evening  of  that 
day,  at  a  social  gathering  of  teachers  and  pupils,  some  one  explained 
to  our  drawingrnaster,  with  not  a  little  difficulty,  the  real  point  of 
Mr.  Hewett's  little  joke.  When  he  thoroughly  took  in  the  situation, 
his  joy  and  gratification  knew  no  bounds.  "Section 'C' performed 
with  great  E's,"  he  repeated  over  and  over  again,  and  seemed  at 
last  to  fully  realize  that  something  truly  good  had  actually  been  said. 


Scene:  assembly  room.  McMackin  standing  at  the  dictionary- 
table  looking  up  a  word;  no  member  of  the  faculty  in  the  room, 
Dr.  Edwards  in  charge,  having  stepped  out;  Frank  Scarles,  going 
out  to  the  reading-table,  meets  a  greenhorn  just  in  to  enter  school, 
who  inquires,  "Say,  Mister,  where  can  I  find  the  president?  I 
want  to  come  to  school."  Searles  directs  him  to  "  that  man  stand- 
ing by  the  table,"  pointing  out  McMackin.  He  walks  through 
the  room  and  approaches  Me.,  with  "Say,  er  you  the  president?" 
Me.  (very  coolly  and  complacently),  "Yes,  sir;  what  can  I  do  for 
you?"  "I  want  to  come  to  school."  Me.  looks  at  him  a  moment 
in  a  dignified  manner,  "Oh, — ah, — yes;  well,  I  never  attend  to 
matters  of  that  kind  myself;  you'll  have  to  see  my  private  secre- 
tary."— [Enter  Dr.  Edwards.]  "There  he  comes  now;  that  bald- 
headed  man.  You  just  step  to  his  desk;  he  will  tell  you  what  to  do." 


THE  ECLIPSE  OF  THE  MOON. 


In  the  fall  of  1874,  on  a  certain  Saturday  evening,  a  total  eclipse 
of  the  moon  was  advertised.  The  performance  was  to  begin  at  one 
o'clock  Sunday  morning.  After  society  meeting,  those  who  were 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  163 

members  of  the  "seventh  hour  class"  strolled  off  in  groups,  two 
in  a  group,  or  whiled  away  the  blissful  moments  discussing  the 
critic's  report,  or  the  general  topic  of  spelling;  feeling  all  the  while 
that  eclipses  were  a  grand,  good  blessing  to  those  who  found  it 
difficult  to  frame  excuses  for  occupying  the  parlor  late  at  night  and 
burning  so  much  of  the  landlady's  kerosene.  The  strictly  steady 
ones  went  to  bed ;  for,  truth  to  tell,  many  of  them  had  not  heard 
that  there  was  going  to  be  an  eclipse.  A  few  boys,  however,  deter- 
mined to  "raise  a  racket"  worthy  of  the  occasion.  Gathering  about 
forty  on  the  east  side,  they  crossed  the  University  campus  to  the 
west  side,  where  were  a  large  number  of  boys,  "batching"  and  in 
clubs.  Most  of  them  were  asleep.  Collecting  about  the  houses,  the 
crowd  would  make  night  hideous  until  those  within  were  prevailed 
upon  to  join  the  party.  Re-crossing  the  ground,  with  numbers 
doubled,  they  reached  the  club  house,  popularly  known  as  "Saint's 
Rest,"  next  door  to  Dr.  Hewett's  residence,  and  quieter  measures 
at  first  were  resorted  to  in  order  to  raise  the  boys,  who  were 
chiefly  of  the  strictly  circumspect  sort.  A  committee  of  two  or 
three  went  to  each  room,  but  some  of  those  within,  probably  filled 
with  visions  of  cruel  hazing,  resolutely  refused  to  admit  the  callers. 
In  vain  the  explanation  was  made  that  the  intention  was  only  to 
raise  as  large  a  crowd  as  possible,  call  out  one  of  the  professors  and 
get  him  to  "talk  eclipse."  One  burly,  broad-shouldered  fellow 
displayed  violent  symptons  of  becoming  unpleasantly  pugilistic.  All 
but  two  or  three,  however,  yielded  at  last,  and  by  this  time  the 
eclipse  was  coming  on. 

As  to  which  one  of  the  faculty  should  be  called  out,  was  the 
next  question.  Edwards  wouldn't  do.  He  would  probably  take 
it  amiss.  So  thought  several  of  the  leaders  of  the  party  who  did  not 
happen  to  be  on  the  most  amicable  terms  with  the  president. 
"Doc."  (Sewall)  was  just  the  man,  but  he  was  not  at  home.  Pro- 
fessor Hewett  was  selected  as  the  victim.  The  company  of  about 
one  hundred  ranged  along  the  street  in  front  of  the  professor's 
house.  A  committee  of  three  "waited  on  him"  by  vigorously  ring- 
ing the  door-bell  until  he  was  wakened.  It  would  seriously  impair 
the  writer's  reputation  as  a  truthful  historian  to  say  that  Dr.  Hewett 
was  in  full  dress  when  he  appeared  at  the  door  to  inquire,  "  What's 
the  matter?"  With  a  word  of  explanation  from  the  boys,  he  took 
in  the  situation  in  a  moment.  Said  he  had  returned  late  in  the 
evening  from  a  trip  by  rail,  and  too  weary  and  sleepy  to  sit  up  till 
the  time  of  the  eclipse,  had  gone  to  bed,  but  thanked  the  boys 
kindly  for  waking  him.  Then,  putting  on  wraps,  he  came  out,  and 
for  more  than  an  hour  entertained  and  instructed  us  with  explana- 
tions and  facts  regarding  the  heavenly  bodies.  Altogether,  it  was 
probably  the  best  remembered  lecture  on  astronomy  that  any  of 
those  who  heard  it,  listened  to  during  their  course  in  school. 


164  HISTORY   OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

THE  LIBERAL  FIGHT. 


In  the  fall  of  1874,  the  following  young  men,  who  were  then 
students  of  the  State  Normal  University,  organized  a  society,  termed 
the  "Liberal  Club,"  which  originally  consisted  of  John  Shearer, 
Samuel  Wadsworth,  L.  B.  "Wood,  Stephen  Spear,  Charles  Howard, 
Christopher  Stephenson,  George  Snelling,  Asbury  Crawford,  - 

McPherson,  Hume,  Adam  Hoffman,   and  Geo,   L.   Hoffman, 

which  was  subsequently  joined  by  W.  C.  Gemmill,  S.  B.  Hursh,  J. 
N.  Hursh,  Cyrus  W.  Picking,  George  Beaty,  Albert  Snare,  Dorus 

Hatch,  Brown,  a  Hindoo,  Charles  Schwer,   \M     Merriett,  Vo*-" 

Trenchard,  and  others.  No  one  could  become  a  member  of  this  club 
unless  he  had  met  with  the  club  for  at  least  two  evenings,  and 
received  the  unanimous  vote  of  all  the  members  present  at  a  regular 
meeting,  nor  unless  the  members  were  satisfied  that  the  applicant  for 
membership  fully  understood  the  nature  and  object  of  the  club, 
which  usually  met  in  a  small  office  on  Main  street,  in  Normal  The 
object  of  the  club  being  mutual  improvement,  and  an  impartial 
investigation,  as  near  as  might  be,  of  such  subjects  as  might  be 
deemed  beneficial  and  of  common  interest  to  the  members  of  the 
club,  and  that  free  scope  should  be  given  to  a  proper  discussion  of 
any  subject  under  consideration,  each  member  feeling  that  his  honest 
opinions  could  be  frankly  stated  and  his  doubts  expressed  without 
restraint,  and  that  no  matter  how  diversified  the  opinions  of  the 
different  members  would  be,  each  member  and  his  opinions  should 
be  treated  with  respect,  whether  upon  questions  of  education, 
politics,  science,  morals,  or  religion.  Hence  the  name,  "Liberal 
Club."  To  many,  the  name  suggested  that  the  club  was  antagonistic 
to  orthodox  religion,  but  this  was  primarily  foreign  to  its  object, 
although,  incidentally,  its  members  invaded  the  domain  of  orthodoxy, 
for  opinions  were  freely  expressed  upon  various  phases  of  religion,  its 
creeds,  doctrines,  and  sects,  as  well  as  upon  other  topics  of  interest. 
The  club  work  consisted  in  reading  and  commenting  upon  Tyndall's 
Belfast  address,  Draper's  Intellectual  Development  of  Europe, 
Huxley,  Darwin,  Winshel  on  Evolution,  Herbert  Spencer,  Butler's 
Analogy,  Theodore  Parkers  Discourse  on  Religion,  and  other  books 
of  like  character.  Besides,  essays  were  written  by  the  members,  and 
read  and  criticised  by  the  club.  All  the  members  were  liberally 
inclined  in  their  religious  views,  and  frequently  gave  expression  to 
their  religious  sentiments  in  the  Wrightoniaii  and  Philadelphian 
Societies  of  the  Normal  University.  Of  this,  the  strict  orthodox 
members  of  these  Societies  disapproved,  and  especially  those 
belonging  to  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association;  consequently, 
they  arrayed  themselves  against  the  Liberal  Club,  and  recognized  its 
members  as  antagonistic  to  religion  and  its  institutions,  and  endeav- 


STATE    NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  165 

ored  to  tolerate  no  exercises  in  the  Societies  which  tended  to  be  at 
variance  with  orthodox  doctrine.  The  Liberals,  acting  on  the 
defensive,  claimed  that  the  Societies  were  secular  institutions,  and 
that  there  was  no  more  impropriety  in  discussing  theological  subjects, 
in  an  honest  and  candid  manner,  than  there  was  in  treating  other 
topics.  This  opposition  to  the  Liberals  brought  about  a  zealous 
rivalry  between  the  Liberals  and  their  friends,  and  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  and  their  sympathizers. 

The  strong  opposition  to  the  Liberals  became  clearly  manifested 
in  the  Societies  after  the  Liberals  had  arranged  to  prepare  a  pro- 
gramme for  each  Society,  which  was  to  consist  of  exercises  given  by 
members  of  the  Liberal  Club  alone.  The  proposition  had  been 
accepted  by  Mr.  Drayton,  president  of  the  Philadelphian  Society,  and 
Josiah  Hodge,  president  of  the  Wrightonian  Society.  This  was 
in  the  fall  of  1874  or  1875.  Adam  Hoffman,  who  was  a  member  of 
the  Liberal  C^ub,  succeeded  Mr.  Hodge  as  president  of  the 
Wrightonian  Society.  It  was  during  Hoffman's  administration  that 
the  programme  prepared  by  the  Liberals  for  the  Wrightonian  Society 
was  given.  For  admitting  this  programme,  the  president  was 
censured  by  a  majority  vote  of  the  Society.  This  motion  was  made 
and  supported  by  members  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associ- 
ation and  others  opposed  to  the  Liberal  Club.  This  motion  called 
forth  heated  discussion  for  several  evenings,  and  finally  a  motion  to 
strike  the  vote  of  censure  from  the  record  prevailed,  without  a 
dissenting  voice.  Some  of  those  who  supported  the  motion  of 
censure,  after  due  deliberation,  concluded  that  they  were  hasty. 
Thus,  the  trouble  in  the  Wrightonian  Society  was  ended,  and 
harmony  was  restored.  Soon  after,  the  programme  prepared  by  the 
Liberals  for  the  Philadelphian  Society,  was  given  after  some  little 
opposition.  No  reasonable  objection  could  be  urged  against  the 
character  of  these  programmes.  They  were  in  every  respect  com- 
mendable and  worthy  to  be  offered  in  the  society  halls.  The 
opposition  was  to  the  privilege  granted  to  the  Liberals,  rather  than 
to  the  nature  of  their  exercises.  The  leaders  of  the  opposition  to 
the  Liberals  were  W.  S.  Mills,  L.  C.  Dougherty,  J.  P.  Hodge, 
James  Ellis,  B.  F.  Stocks,  Kenyon  and  others. 

The  next  contest  took  place  in  the  Philadelphian  Society  at  its 
spring  election,  when  there  were  two  candidates  for  president,  viz.: 
Laybourn  and  Charles  McMurry,  the  latter  receiving  the  support  of 
the  Liberals,  although  he  had  no  connection  with  them,  and  the 
former  being  the  choice  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association. 
There  would  have  been  no  difficulty  at  this  election  had  not  Lay- 
bourn's  supporters  promulgated  that  the  Liberal's  were  supporting 
McMurry,  and  that  McMurry  must  be  defeated.  This  caused  an 
issue  to  be  made  between  the  Liberals  and  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association,  at  this  election.  Both  parties  zealously  engaged  in 


166  HISTORY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

securing  voters  and  advocating  their  claims.  On  the  day  of  election, 
when  the  result  was  announced,  it  was  evident  that  Charles  McMurry 
was  elected,  whereupon  a  few  of  Lay-bourn's  ardent  supporters 
charged  fraud  upon  the  judges,  George  Beaty,  D.  C.  Tyler  and  Miss 
Mary  Anderson,  and,  at  the  following  meeting  of  the  Society, 
succeeded  in  carrying  a  motion  for  another  election,  without  Urst 
duly  investigating  the  election.  This  arbitrary  move  was  denounced 
as  unjust  and  illegal  by  McMurry' s  friends.  The  excitement  was 
intense  for  several  days.  Special  meetings  were  called  for  the 
purpose  of  determining  the  proper  mode  of  proceeding  for  an  investi- 
gation of  the  election,  but  no  terms  could  be  reached  other  than  that 
there  should  be  another  election  without  further  ceremony.  The 
McMurry  constituents  refused  to  yield  their  position,  as  well  as  their 
antagonists.  The  strife  was  growing  fiercer,  day  by  dayr  and  no  com- 
promise could  be  effected,  until  finally  some  of  the  members  of  the 
faculty  saw  proper  and  necessary  to  advise.  Upon  their  suggestion 
that  it  would  be  best  to  consent  to  another  election  without  further 
difficulty,  the  Liberals  and  McMurry' s  friends  generally,  yielded,  and 
another  election  was  called.  The  excitement  had  risen  to  such  a 
pitch  that  it  interfered  with  the  regular  school  work  of  those  who 
were  most  interested.  As  soon  as  it  was  conceded  that  there  would 
be  another  election,  both  factions  at  once  proceeded  to  solicit  mem- 
bers to  pay  their  dues,  so  that  they  could  vote.  Before  the  close 
of  the  election,  the  number  of  voting  members  in  the  Philadelphian 
Society  was  more  than  doubled',  and  the  election  again  resulted  in 
favor  of  Charles  McMurry.  Both  candidates  were  highly  esteemed 
by  the  students,  and  either  would  have  been  satisfactory  so  for  as 
they  were  individually  concerned.  But  the  fight  was  between  the 
factions,  rather  than  for  their  candidates.  When  McMurry 's  election 
was  announced,  a  scene  of  wild  excitement  took  place,  after  an 
interval,  of  stillness,  during  the  counting  of  the  votes.  After  this 
election,  all  differences  were  adjusted,  and  the  waging  factions  ceased 
their  hostilities  toward  each  other,  and  it  was  generously  conceded  by 
the  leaders  in  the  fight  that  both  parties  were  too  rash,  and  acted 
imprudently.  It  is  an  event  that  will  always  be  remembered  by 
those  who  attended  school  during  the  period  of  the  Liberal  contest. 
After  sallies  of  passion  and  burning  remarks,  came  deliberation  and 
candor.  Whatever  the  Liberal  or  the  orthodox  may  have  said  in 
the  Societies  which  was  of  sufficient  force  to  call  forth  comment 
must  at  last  have  been  of  mutual  benefit,  either  in  tempering  or 
strengthening  both  in  their  respective  convictions. 


STATE    NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  167 

WORKING  THE  ROADS. 


In  the  spring  of  1877,  about  twenty-five  of  the  boys  were 
notified  by  the  local  authorities  to  work  the  usual  two  days  on  the 
roads.  A  meeting  of  the  students  interested  in  the  matter  was  held 
in  Dr.  Sewall's  room,  and  the  subject  was  thoroughly  discussed.  It 
was  decided  that  they  should  turn  out  in  a  body,  each  one  taking 
three  others  to  work  on  his  time,  thus  putting  in  the  required  two 
days  in  half  a  day.  A  committee  of  five,  consisting  of  Messrs. 
Gillan,  Berkstresser,  Faulkner,  Boyer,  and  Bainum,  was  appointed 
to  make  necessary  arrangements  for  the  particulars  of  the  plan.  The 
committee  drew  up  a  code  of  regulations  which  all  agreed  to  observe, 
to  the  effect  that: 

1.  All  were   to   come   to   school   at  the   usual    time   the  next 
morning,  and  remain  until  after  devotional  exercises  and  spelling, 
and  when  the  classes  passed  out,  file  down  stairs,  form  in  line  in 
front  of  the  building,  and  march  to  the  scene  of  the  day's  labor. 

2.  White   shirts,  collars,  coats,  and  jewelry  of  any  kind,  were 
strictly  forbidden  to  be  worn. 

3.  As   far    as    practicable,    pantaloons    must    be    worn    inside 
of  boots. 

•i.  Each  should  be  provided  with  whatever  implement  for 
digging  he  might  be  able  to  improvise. 

The  next  morning  a  unique  and  motley  crowd  assembled,  bearing 
a  great  variety  of  implements,  from  a  grubbing  hoe  to  a  garden  rake 
and  a  fire  shovel.  Edward  Faulkner  was  chosen  captain,  and  the 
company,  consisting  of  eighty  members,  was  divided  into  squads  of 
eight,  each  commanded  by  a  sub-boss.  Forming  in  line,  they 
marched  to  the  place'  designated  by  the  roadmaster,  just  south  of 
the  iron  bridge  over  Sugar  Creek,-  on  Main  street.  After  working 
(?)  about  an  hour,  three  of  the  "busy  B's,"  Berkstresser,  Bainum, 
and  Burger,  were  sent  to  Bloomington  to  get  a  supply  of  liquid 
consolation,  as  the  day  was  warm  and  the  "work"  thirst-provoking. 
Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  committee  required  so  much  time  to 
"sample"  the  different  varieties,  it  was  near  noon  when  they 
retured  in  company  with  a  drayman  and  a  barrel  of  cider.  Sitting  in 
the  shade  of  the  maples  by  the  road  side,  the  crowd  by  this  time 
augmented  to  one  hundred,  or  more,  soon  emptied  the  barrel.  The 
remainder  of  the  programme  consisted  in  building  a  memorial 
mound  of  earth  some  six  or  eight  feet  high,  in  the  middle  of  the 
road,  making  speeches,  listening  to  vocal  music  by  a  colored  man, 
who,  passing  by,  was  captured  and  urged  to  sing,  although  he 
protested  that  lie  had  not  time  to  wait,  and  the  nnal  homeward 
march.  A  large  stone  was  selected  from  the  creek  near  the  Chicago 
and  Alton  railroad,  and  taken  through  the  streets  of  Normal  to  the 


168  HISTORY  OF  THE   ILLINOIS 

front  of  the  city  council's  office,  whore  it  was  planted  by  the  sidewalk 
with  appropriate  ceremonies.  In  dedicating  the  stone  as  a  memorial 
to  the  city  council,  Hoffman,  Gillan,  and  Stephenson,  were  called  on 
for  speeches,  and  each  one  of  the  audience  contributed  a  fitting 
sentiment  as  he  put  in  his  spadeful  or  hoefnl  of  earth. 

Two  days  later  was  commencement.  By  preconcerted  arrange- 
ment, at  the  close  of  the  exercises,  the  boys  repaired  to  the  west 
steps  of  the  building,  where,  in  a  neat  and  appropriate  speech,  Mr. 
Edward  Faulkner,  in  behalf  of  those  who  had  worked  on  the  road, 
presented  the  roadrnaster  with  a  hat,  as  a  token  of  good  feeling  and 
respect,  he  having  acted  in  the  matter  only  in  obedience  to  the  legal 
direction  of  the  city  council,  but  having  treated  the  boys  in  a  most 
gentlemanly  and  generous  manner. 


DR.   HEWETT'S  BIRTHDAY. 


A   THREE-FOLD    SURPRISE. 
[From  the  Bloomington  Pantagraph,  November  2, 1878.] 

Yesterday  was  President  Hewett's  birthday,  the  horologe  of 
time  having  struck  for  him  the  half  century.  During  the  opening 
exercises,  the  members  of  the  model  department  quietly  gathered 
near  the  doors  of  the  assembly  room.  The  usual  spelling  exercise 
was  begun,  but  after  the  president  had  pronounced  three  or  four 
words,  Silas  Y.  Gillan,  of  the  senior  class,  arose  and  interrupted  the 
exercise,  saying:  "I  would  like  to  put  in  a  parenthesis  right  here  in 
this  exercise.  For  years  and  years  this  performance  has  been  going 
on  in  just  the  same  way;  you  have  been  drilling  and  drilling  upon 
^spelling,  and  yet,  even  here  in  McLean  County,  there  are  persons 
who  cannot  spell — a  fact  which  conclusively  proves  the  whole 
business  of  spelling  to  be  a  failure.  [Applause.]  Variety  is  the 
spice  of  life,  and  this  morning  we  propose  to  have  a  little  variety. 
Let  it  be  recorded  in  the  annals  of  the  University,  or  at  least  become 
a  part  of  the  traditional  history  thereof,  that  on  one  morning, 
November  1,  1878,  the  spelling  exercise  was  omitted."  Here  the 
speaker  drew  from  his  desk  an  elegant  gold-headed  cane,  and, 
continuing  in  a  neat  little  speech,  which  was  decidedly  unique, 
abounding  in  humor  and  good  feeling,  presented  the  cane  to 
Dr.  Hewett,  in  behalf  of  the  students'  of  the  school.  It  bore  the 
inscription:  "Pres.  E.  C.  Hewett,  LL.  D.  From  the  students  of  the 
I.  S.  N.  U.,  Nov.  1,  1878." 

Immediately  on  the  first  interruption,  the  doors  on  both  sides 
were  thrown  open,  and  the  pupils  from  the  model  school  filed  in. 
No  sooner  had  the  president  begun  to  speak  in  response  to  Mr. 
Gillan,  than  little  Jessie  Davis  came  forward,  carrying  a  beautiful 


STATE    NORMAL    I'M  VKU.SITY.  169 

bouquet,  and  said:  "Mr.  Hewett,  please  accept  these  flowers  as  a 
birthday  present  from  the  children  of  the  primary  department." 
Turning  to  make  a  double  response,  he  was  a  third  time  interrupted 
by  Mrs.  Haynie,  of  the  Normal  Department,  who,  as  representative 
of  the  faculty,  held  in  her  hand  an  elegant  Bagster  Bible.  Mrs. 
Ilaynie's  address  was  a  model  of  delicacy  and  beauty,  and  was 
delivered  with  such  evident  feeling  as  to  make  it  peculiarly 
impressive. 

So  successfully  had  the  preparations  been  kept  secret  that  the 
president  had  not  the  least  suspicion  of  the  affair,  but  was  completely 
surprised.  When  at  last  he  "got  the  floor,"  with  voice  tremulous 
with  emotion,  he  thanked  the  good  friends  for  their  thoughtful 
kindness,  on  the  day  upon  which  he  reached  the  "summit  of  life." 
In  a  short  speech,  which  was  full  of  good  advice  and  good  sense,  he 
recalled  the  fact  that  just  twenty-nine  years  before,  he  began  his 
career  as  a  teacher,  and  since  that  time,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
months,  he  had  been  engaged  in  teaching,  the  last  twenty  years 
having  been  spent  in  this  institution. 

The  members  of  the  faculty  were  all  called  upon.  Prof.  Metcalf 
spoke  at  some  length.  Prof.  Cook  made  a  very  witty. little  speech. 
When  the  president  announced  that  the  spelling  exercise  was  over  for 
the  morning,  the  eyes  of  the  students  sparkled  with  delight,  and  they 
greeted  the  announcement  with  hearty  applause. 


THE  SOCIABLE  SQUABBLE. 


The  American  of  average  pluck  and  combativeness  has,  among 
his  most  pleasant  memories,  the  recollection  of  some  parliamentary 
contest  about  society  or  class  affairs.  Wrightonians  and  Philadel- 
phians  of  the  spring  of  1881,  remember  with  special  pleasure  the 
sociable  fight  of  the  spring  term.  The  opening  of  the  spring  term 
found  both  Societies  in  a  healthy  condition,  with  their  ranks  filled 
with  earnest,  plucky  and  able  workers. 

As  usual,  early  in  the  term,  arrangements  were  made  for  a  union 
sociable.  The  night  appointed  was  so  stormy  that  few  attended. 
Many  now  wished  to  hold  the  sociable  the  following  (Saturday) 
evening.  The  older  members  objected  to  adjourning  the  regular 
literary  exercises,  and  from  this  difference  started  one  of  the  most 
hotly  contested  struggles  of  later  years.  As  stated  above,  the 
contest  was  upon  the  propriety  of  adjourning  the  regular  literary 
exercises  for  a  joint  sociable.  The  first  joint  meeting  called  to  decide 
the  matter  was  held  March  22.  In  this  meeting  the  sociable  party 
carried  their  point,  with  but  little  opposition.  It  was  now  that  the 
fight  began. 


170  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

At  the  close  of  the  session  on  the  twenty-third,  the  anti-sociable 
party  called  a  meeting  of  the  Wrightonian  Society.  Matters  grew  so 
interesting  that  about  twenty  members  paid  their  dues  before  the 
meeting  was  called  to  order.  Faces  that  had  been  long  strange, 
and  faces  new  in  business  sessions,  now  appeared.  The  anti- 
sociable  party  at  this  meeting  were  ably  led  by  E.  E.  Brown,  John 
Gray  and  others.  The  sociable  side,  by  Walter  Blake,  and  F. 
A.  Iloughton.  The  session  was  protracted  and  warm.  The  anti- 
sociable  party  argued  that  we  could  not  afford  to  do  away  with  the 
regular  literary  exercises  for  such  a  trifling  thing  as  a  sociable;  that 
we  get  too  little  literary  drill,  even  if  every  regular  meeting  is  held. 
This  was  met  by  the  new  students  retorting  that  there  are  more 
opportunities  to  do  literary  work  than  are  taken  advantage  of;  that 
drill  in  social  courtesies  is  more  needed  by  the  majority  of  students 
than  literary  .drill,  and  that  the  older  students,  having  become 
acquainted,  did  not  feel  the  need  of  a  sociable,  as  did  the  newer 
students.  At  the  final  vote,  by  a  majority  of  three,  the  anti-sociable 
party  carried  their  motion  to  annul  the  action  of  the  "joint  meet- 
ing." Still  the  fight  grew  warmer. 

The  next  meeting — a  union  meeting — met  at  4  p.  m.,  March  24, 
in  Normal  Hall.  To  those  already  spoken  of  as  leaders  of  the 
sociable  party  in  the  Wrightonian  session,  we  must  now  add  the 
name  of  George  Howell,  a  Philadelphian.  At  this  meeting,  David 
W.  Reid  was  chosen  by  the  two  society  presidents  to  preside.  As 
the  session  was  turbulent,  it  was  found  no  easy  matter  to  conduct 
the  business  expeditiously.  The  motion  to  reconsider  previous  action 
carried,  and  on  reconsideration  the  joint  meeting  again  declared  in 
favor  of  the  sociable  by  a  vote  of  eighty-four  to  thirty-seven.  This 
session  lasted  from  4  to  9:45  p.  m. 

At  four  p.  m.,  March  25,  another  meeting  of  the  Wrightonians 
was  called  in  room  twenty-three.  At  this  meeting  Mr.  F.  A. 
Iloughton  moved  that  we  have  a  short  programme,  after  which 
society  adjourned  for  social  exercises.  This  motion  was  seconded  by 
E.  E.  Brown,  and  was  unanimously  carried.  So  ends  the  sociable 
fight,  in  which  the  "cream"  and  "scum"  met  in  earnest  but  friendly 
conflict.  Let  us  add  that  the  sociable  proved  a  grand  success,  and 
that  one  of  the  most  pleasing  incidents  was  the  presentation  of  a 
beautiful  bouquet  by  the  ladies  to  George  Howell,  in  token  of  their 
appreciation  of  his  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  sociable. 


QUARTER  CENTENNIAL. 


NORTON'S  LETTER. 

DKAR  OLD  FRIENDS: 

To  my  home  on  the  summits  of  these  Santa  Cruz  hills,  by  the 
Pacific,  has  come  an  invitation  to  write  a  few  words  upon  the  days 
when  we  dwelt  and  worked  together.  I  was  not  exactly  a  beginner 
with  the  Normal  University.  I  entered  in  the  autumn  of  1858,  and 
found  myself  decidedly  a  junior,  compared  with  a  group,  grave  and 
reverend,  of  the  real  pioneers.  John  Hull,  Joseph  Howell,  Enoch 
Gastman,  Hayes,  Ridlon,  Augusta  Peterson,  Sally  Dunn,  Fannie 
Washburne,  Edward  Philbrook,  whose  hair  parted  in  the  middle, 
these  were  in  the  front  rank  of  years  and  honors.  We  who  entered 
in  those  September  days  of  1858,  felt  small  and  insignificant  beside 
them.  We  wTere  daily  convened  in  the  upper  story  of  Major's  Hall. 
I  suppose  that  these  younger  generations  of  Normalites  are  not 
aware  that  such  a  building  ever  existed.  The  walls  of  the  old 
house  were  rickety,  and  iron  girders,  with  huge  S's  at  the  ends,  held 
in  place  the  brick  masonry.  Our  assembling  room  was  the  third 
story.  In  the  second  story  were  recitation  rooms,  rather  dark,  and 
ill-adapted  to  our  needs.  Grocery  and  hardware  stores  occupied  the 
first  floor.  The  building  was  heated  by  a  coal  stove  in  each  room, 
and  as  Illinois  coal  is  gaseous  and  explosive,  the  stove  doors  were 
frequently  blown  open,  with  loud  sounds  and  clouds  of  yellow  smoke. 
C.  E.  Ilovey  was  principal  in  those  days,  but  Ira  Moore  was  the  one 
most  directly  in  charge.  Dr.  Willard,  looking  very  pale  and  frail, 
soon  began  to  open  his  wonderful  budget  of  philological  knowledge. 
Hewett  came  within  a  month  after  my  arrival,  I  think.  He  was  a 
small  man  with  a  big  head,  in  those  days.  He  had  very  demonstra- 
tive boot  heels,  and  especially  hated  cats,  and  went  to  sleep  in 
Baptist  meetings.  He  used  to  give  us  prodigious  lessons  in  history 
and  geography.  He  couldn't  draw  maps,  but  made  us  draw  very 
nice  ones.  I  remember  his  geography  lessons,  even  unto  this  day. 
The  names  of  the  branches  of  the  Amazon,  the  forms  and  heights  of 
the  Andean  and  Himalayan  plateaus — these  are  mine  yet,  and  will 
be  to  all  eternity.  My  history  work  has  not  staid  with  me  so  well. 


172  HISTORY   OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

There  was  once  a  slight  unpleasantness  between  my  class  and  their 
teacher  as  to  how  General  Greene  got  away  from  Cornwallis.  It  was 
quite  a  double-and-twisted  business  anyhow,  and  we  inwardly  vowed 
that  we  wouldn't  learn  it.  The  teacher  gave  us  hard  words  and  low 
marks,  but  our  obstinate  stupidity  won  the  day.  I  am  still  densely 
ignorant  as  to  whether  it  was  the  Chickahominy  or  the  Nile  that 
rose  and  fell  in  such  a  miraculous  fashion,  for  the  discomfiture  of 
the  British.  Come  to  think  of  it,  may  be  it  wasn't  Greene  and 
Cornwallis,  after  all.  It  tires  me  to  recall  the  matter.  At  any  rate, 
somebody  got  away  from  some  other  fellow,  and  we  wouldn't  and 
didn't  learn  the  particulars,  and  Professor  Hewett  considered  us, 
very  justly,  a  pack  of  ninnies. 

We  were  called  section  "C"  for  awhile.  There  was  a  section  B, 
including  Burnham,  Edward  Waite,  Fanny  Grennel,  Peleg  R.  Walker 
and  others;  a  class  which  had  entered  some  months  before  us,  but 
they  were  soon  incorporated  with  us.  Gove,  from  Boston,  John  T. 
Curtis,  Sophie  Crist,  C.  J.  Gill,  Harvey  Dutton,  Moses  Morgan— 
these  stand  out  very  conspicuously  upon  the  tablet  of  memory  as 
entering  when  I  did.  I  had  a  peculiar  psychological  experience  with 
Gove.  It  was  a  case  of  hate  at  first  sight.  He  was  very  slim  in 
those  days,  had  a  big  nose,  and  used  to  laugh  at  people  who  made 
mistakes.  I  regarded  him  for  some  time  with  a  silent,  unspeakable 
hatred.  Well,  time  mended  all  that.  After  these  twenty-four  years, 
I  send  love  to  Gove,  whom  I  hated ;  to  Dutton,  whom  I  quarreled 
with;  tc  Joseph  Howell  and  Augusta  Peterson,  whom  I  respected 
and  yet  felt  it  my  duty  to  regard  with  a  certain  dislike,  because  they 
were  Philadelphians.  From  their  heights  of  spirit-life  may  a  bene- 
diction be  wafted  down,  even  to  us,  who  struggled  hard  to  make  the 
name  of  Simeon  Wright  immortal ! 

There  were  two  literary  societies  in  those  days.  It  is  strange,  but 
true,  that  the  members  used  to  quarrel.  We  had  contest  meetings, 
joint  debates,  and  various  occasions  of  conflict.  After  our  removal 
into  the  "new  building,"  we  impoverished  ourselves  and  incurred 
heavy  debts,  in  order  to  buy  better  furniture  and  more  books  than 
the  people  of  the  other  Society.  On  the  door  of  the  Wrightonian 
Hall  was  a  motto,  painted  in  blue  and  gold,  "Sapere  Aude."  It 
was  the  occasion,  to  the  Philadelphians,  of  many  irreverent  and 
disrespectful  puns.  As  a  loyal  Wrightonian,  I  trust  that  this  motto 
has  disappeared,  and  that  the  Brussels  carpet,  gay  with  yellow  roses, 
which  reduced  us  all  to  bankruptcy  who  were  concerned  in  purchas- 
ing it,  has  been  replaced  by  the  bounty  of  a  younger  and  wealthier 
generation. 

In  1858,  Bloomington  had  a  population  of  some  7,000  people. 
In  winter,  its  streets  were  a  sea  of  mud.  "Come  over  here,"  once 
shouted  Professor  Wilbur,  the  geologist,  to  Uncle  Sim  Wright,  across 
the  street.  "I  can't,"  was  the  answer;  between  thee  and  me  there 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  173 

is  a  great  gulf  fixed."  Teams  were  daily  mired  down  in  the  princi- 
pal streets.  There  was  a  place  called  Pone  Hollow,  allusions  to 
which  were  particularly  in  order,  if  any  one  would  be  called  facetious. 
The  crossings  there  were  particularly  dreadful  when  the  long  rains 
drenched  the  prairies. 

"The  gunpowder  plot"  was  enacted  in  Major's  Hall.  Gove  had 
organized  a  band  of  nocturnal  serenaders,  called  the  "Squallers." 
They  used  to  go  about  with  an  awfully  discordant  orchestra  of  willow 
whistles.  To  blow  these  beneath  the  lattice  of  a  slumbering  maiden, 
was  to  induce  in  her  spasms  of  palpitating  fear  and  agony.  The 
Squallers  were  wont  to  meet  in  Mr.  Hovey's  office,  not  to  rehearse, 
but  to  form  their  plans.  One  of  the  boys  had  observed  this,  and 
longed  to  know  what  it  all  meant.  He  took  into  his  confidence  one 
Bumham,  who  wickedly  betrayed  him  to  the  Squallers.  Their  plans 
were  duly  laid.  Hidden  in  a  box  in  the  room,  the  inquiring  youth 
heard  the  particulars  of  a  plot  which  caused  his  "knotty  and  combined 
locks  to  part,  and  each  particular  hair  to  stand  on  end" — no  less  a 
scheme  than  the  blowing  up  of  the  old  building  with  gunpowder,  in 
order  to  expedite  the  construction  of  the  new  one!  The  very  box  in 
which  the  spy  was  secreted  was  selected  as  the  receptacle  for  this 
terrible  explosive,  and  was  turned  over,  rolling  out  upon  the  floor  this 
inquiring  youth.  The  tableau  was  unutterable;  the  muttered  threats 
were  dreadful.  At  last,  after  binding  himself  with  more  horrible 
oaths  than  Morgan,  the  anti-Mason,  ever  dreamed  of,  and  making  a 
liberal  contribution  for  the  purchase  of  gunpowder,  he  was  allowed  to 
go  home,  where  he  doubtless  passed  the  night  in  dreadful  expectancy, 
and  came  to  school  next  morning,  only  to  find  an  audible  smile  on 
every  face.  Well,  he  treated  the  crowd  to  apples,  and  we  unanimously 
agreed  not  to  tell  his  father  of  his  misadventure;  in  pursuance  of 
which  pledge,  his  name  appeareth  not  in  these  pages. 

\\  e  were  shabbily  dressed  in  those  days.  I  think  my  pantaloons 
were  generally  too  short,  and  my  coats  seemed  to  have  been  made 
for  some  other  person.  We  were  very  poor,  but  very  plucky.  We 
boarded  ourselves,  mainly  on  corn  mush,  washed  the  floors  and  built 
the  fires  at  the  Normal  Hall,  worked  hard,  lived  hard,  and  were  poorly 
provided  with  all  things ;  our  parents  were  sad-faced,  struggling 
pioneers  of  the  prairies ;  but  we  were  cheery,  resolute  and  happy  in 
our  life  and  our  work.  To  the  toiling  youth  of  frontier  homes, 
thirsting  for  knowledge,  the  Illinois  Normal  University  opened  the 
gateways  of  a  new  life.  We  loved  it,  rejoiced  in  it,  and  were  thor- 
oughly loyal  to  its  name  and  fame. 

The  school  saw  but  little  of  its  principal  in  those  years.  Two 
miles  to  the  northward,  across  the  sodden  prairies,  in  the  rainy 
autumn  of  1858,  were  clay  pits,  heaps  of  brickbats,  half-complete 
foundations  for  a  stately  structure,  yet  in  embryo.  The  construction 
fund  was  exhausted,  the  State  heavily  in  debt,  business  everywhere 
12 


HISTORY    OF    THE   ILLINOIS 

distressed  and  languishing;  truly  a  somber  prospect  for  the  com- 
pletion of  a  building,  demanding,  on  the  basis  existing  before  the 
war,  a  hundred  thousand  dollars.  It  would  be  as  easy  to-day  to  raise 
a  million.  To  secure  these  needed  funds  was  the  task  which  Charles 
E.  Hovey  set  before  himself.  It  was  a  labor  for  Hercules.  His  own 
fortune  was  pledged  over  and  over.  Had  his  plans  failed,  he  would 
have  been  weighted  for  life  with  hopeless  bankruptcy.  This  enor- 
mous task  he  undertook  and  carried  through.  He  had  a  place  on 
the  programme  of  the  school's  daily  work,  but  his  classes  generally 
wrought  out  their  own  salvation.  But  in  the  winter  of  1860-1  the 
building  was  completed  ;  the  Legislature  assembled ;  Governor  Dick 
Yates  delivered  the  dedicatory  address ;  the  State  assumed  the  liabil- 
ities of  the  Board  of  Regents,  and  the  enormous  burden  of  debt 
rolled  off  the  shoulders  which  had  borne  it  so  bravely.  A  new  gen- 
eration has  arisen  since  those  days,  mainljr  ignorant  of  these  events, 
and  yet  enjoying  the  fruits  of  those  labors.  It  is  for  them  that  I 
make  the  record.  We  of  the  pioneering  days,  need  no  reminder  of 
the  grand  work  which  could  hardly  have  been  performed  by  another 
than  General  Charles  E.  Hovey. 

We  were  free  in  our  conduct,  to  a  singular  extent.  No  school 
rules  rested  upon  us.  Our  hours  and  methods  were  wholly  our  own. 
We  lived  as  we  pleased,  formed  our  friendships  and  associations,  made 
our  calls,  and  managed  our  affairs,  entirely  at  our  own  choice  and 
pleasure.  Very  few  schools  were  ever  so  slightly  governed.  I  do  not 
believe  that  our  successors  of  to-day  can  be  journeying  under  any 
similar  slackness  of  rein.  Nevertheless,  the  record  of  those  years  was 
a  thoroughly  Spartan  one.  We  were  from  Puritan  households,  disci- 
plined in  self-restraint.  Industry  and  poverty  were  our  safeguards. 

A  magnificent  park,  stately  buildings,  a  beautiful  and  prosperous 
city,  methods  well-ordered,  and  polities  established,  splendid  museums 
and  laboratories,  a  wealthier  and  more  cultured  generation  of  students 
— these  are  the  pleasant  things  that  greet  the  view  as  you  gather  to  the 
silver  wedding  of  our  Alma  Mater.  It  is  not  true  that  the  former 
days  were  better  than  these,  but  we  who  saw  the  working  out  of  the 
beginnings,  had  also  our  joys,  straggles,  and  coronations;  and  we 
received  a  training  which,  if  less  orderly  and  exhaustive  than  that 
rendered  now,  nevertheless  gave  us  some  measure  of  fitness  for  our 
life-work. 

From  my  home  and  class-room  by  the  Pacific,  I  send  hearty 
greeting  to  the  teachers  and  pupils  who  worked  in  Major's  Hall 
together.  God  bless  and  speed  you  ah1,  dear  old  friends  and  com- 
rades, and  grant  you  such  length  of  days  that,  in  the  seventh  year  of 
the  twentieth  Christian  century,  a  few  of  us,  if  old,  yet  vigorous,  if 
with  snow  on  the  head,  yet  with  fire  at  the  heart,  may  gather  to  our 
Alma  Mater's  golden  wedding.  H.  B.  NORTON. 

STATE  NOKMAL  SCHOOL,  San  Jose,  California,  July  23,  1882. 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVEKSITY.  175 


ADDKESS  LY  GEN.  C.  E.  IIOVEY. 

ALUMNI  AND  FRIENDS  OF  THE  NORMAL  UNIVERSITY: 

We  are  here  in  obedience  to  a  much  honored  custom,  for  the 
purpose  of  celebrating  the  completion  of  the  first  quarter-century  of 
the  Normal  University;  and  I  recognize  the  fact  that  I  owe  the  honor 
of  occupying  the  platform  to-night  to  my  early  connection  with  the 
institution  and  a  presumed  acquaintance  with  the  ideas  on  which  it 
was  founded. 

It  is  no  secret  that  this  Normal  School  has  achieved  very  consid- 
erable reputation  in  its  department  of  labor.  It  is  as  well  known  in 
Washington  as  in  Chicago.  State  lines  have  not  walled  in  its  fame, 
and  I  doubt  whether  Illinois  can  point  to  another  institution  which 
has  done  her  more  honor,  except,  always,  her  common  schools.  It, 
however,  is  one  of  these.  The  same  men  founded  both,  and  main- 
tained the  right  to  support  both  at  the  public  charge.  They  held  that 
the  Normal  School  was  simply  the  head  common  school  of  the  State. 

I  have  thought  I  could  not  do  better,  on  the  present  occasion, 
than  to  invite  you  to  go  back  with  me  to  the  time  when  these 
measures,  the  establishment  of  free  schools  and  a  Normal  School, 
were  under  consideration,  and  to  introduce  you  to  the  men  and  ideas 
of  that  time.  I  admit  the  principle  they  contended  about — the  right 
to  tax  the  whole  property  of  the  State  in  support  of  schools  for  the 
free  education  of  every  child  in  her  borders — is  no  longer  in  issue. 
It  has  gone  into  your  statutes  and  constitution,  and  gone  there  to 
stay.  Indeed,  he  would  be  a  brave  man  who  should  propose  to 
take  it  out. 

Similar  laws,  or  laws  for  a  similar  purpose,  more  or  less  effective, 
are  now  on  the  statute  books  of  every  State  and  every  territory  of  the 
United  States  of  North  America.  By  what  right  are  they  there? 
What  right  has  government  to  take  the  property  of  one  man  to 
educate  the  children  of  another?  Is  not  property  an  absolute  natural 
right,  as  much  as  life,  or  liberty?  When  and  how  did  government 
acquire  the  right  to  seize  upon  the  property  of  the  citizens  for  the 
support  of  schools — to  take,  by  taxation,  the  earnings  of  the  indus- 
trious and  frugal  to  educate  the  children  of  the  idle  and  thriftless  ? 

At  the  time  to  which  I  invite  your  attention,  a  respectable  body  of 
the  people  of  the  State  held  that  government  had  no  such  right,  and 
they  stoutly  resisted,  by  words  and  votes,  those  who  put  forward  the 
claim.  They  insisted  that  taxation  for  the  support  of  common  schools, 
if  not  tyranny,  was  at  least  an  invasion  of  the  rights  of  property,  not 
warranted  by  anything  in  the  social  compact,  and  they  challenged 
those  who  held  the  contrary  opinion  to  an  examination  of  fundamental 
principles  of  civil  government.  They  pointed  out  the  clause  in  the 
State  constitution  which  declares  "that  a  frequent  recurrence  to 
fundamental  principles  of  civil  government  is  absolutely  necessary  to 


176  HISTORY  OF  THE   ILLINOIS 

preserve  the  blessings  of  liberty,"  and  they  invoked  those  principles 
in  aid  of  their  side  of  the  question.  Of  course,  the  friends  of  free 
schools  had  no  alternative  but  to  accept  the  challenge,  and  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century  the  contest  went  on. 

In  1825,  the  Legislature,  under  the  lead  of  some  far-seeing 
statesman,  passed  a  school  law,  setting  out  with  a  preamble : 

"To  enjoy  our  rights  and  liberties,  we  must  understand  them  ; 
their  security  and  protection  ought  to  be  the  first  object  of  a  free 
people;  and  it  is  a  well-established  fact  that  no  nation  has  ever  con- 
tinued long  in  the  enjoyment  of  civil  and  political  freedom  which  was 
not  both  virtuous  and  enlightened ;  and,  believing  that  the  advance- 
ment of  literature  always  has  been  and  ever  will  be  the  means  of 
developing  more  fully  the  rights  of  man,  that  the  mind  of  every 
citizen  in  a  republic  is  the  common  property  of  society,  and  consti- 
tutes the  basis  of  its  strength  and  happiness;  therefore,  be  it 
enacted,  etc." 

That  is  pretty  good  doctrine,  even  now.  The  law,  that  followed 
this  preamble,  established  a  system  of  common  schools,  and  author- 
ized a  majority  of  the  legal  voters  in  any  school  district  to  levy  a  tax 
for  the  support  of  a  school  in  that  district.  It  was  a  local  matter, 
and  depended  on  the  voluntary  action  of  the  voters.  But  it  recog- 
nized a  principle — the  right  of  a  people  in  neighborhoods  to  tax 
themselves  for  the  support  of  free  schools  in  such  neighborhoods. 

The  next  Legislature,  1827,  amended  this  law,  and  provided  that 
"No  person  shall  hereafter  be  taxed  for  the  support  of  any  free 
school  in  this  State,  unless  by  his  or  her  own  free  will  and  consent, 
first  had  and  obtained,  in  writing."  Here  was  a  flat  denial  of  the 
right  of  taxation  for  free  schools.  As  amended,  the  tax  section  of 
the  school  law  amounted  to  little  more  than  a  legislative  permission 
"to  pass  around  the  hat."  Of  course,  the  legislation  of  1827  was 
the  death  of  taxation  for  school  purposes,  and  it  maintained  a  place 
on  the  statute  book  for  many  years.  In  process  of  time  and  changes 
it  finally  disappeared,  but  not  until  1855  did  the  contrary  principle 
take  its  place.  Then  was  passed  the  first  rough  draft  of  the  present 
free-school  law.  A  two-mill  tax  was  levied  on  "each  dollar's  valua- 
tion of  all  the  taxable  property  in  the  State"  for  the  use  and 
support  of  common  schools.  In  1857,  under  leadership  of  a  man 
who  is  no  stranger  to  these  halls,  this  law  was  revised  and  its 
provisions  harmonized.  I  shall  read  from  his  speech,  on  reporting 
the  bill  to  the  House,  before  I  get  through. 

From  1825  to  1855,  or  1827  to  1857,  if  you  prefer,  the  discussion 
among  the  people  as  to  their  right,  in  their  collective  capacity  as  a 
government,  to  impose  a  tax  for  the  support  of  schools,  went  on.  It 
was  a  memorable  debate.  I  am  sorry  so  little  of  it  is  now  available. 
The  most  of  it,  so  far  as  I  know,  and  some  of  the  best  of  it,  was 
never  in  print.  It  was  carried  on  in  cabins,  in  shops,  in  town-halls, 


STATE    NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  177 

in  churches,  in  school  houses,  on  the  stump  and  in  the  capitol.     I 
remember  its  substance  very  well. 

I  should  say  in  passing,  that  the  plan  of  my  address  to-night 
excludes  the  idea  of  originality.  I  am  inviting  you  to  listen  to  the 
story  as  told  by  other  men  in  other  days,  and  in  so  far  as  I  am  com- 
pelled to  vary  from  this  rule,  and  to  use  my  own  words,  it  will  be 
done  sparingly  and  with  a  free  knowledge  that  I  am,  to  that  extent, 
detracting  from  the  historic  value  of  the  narrative.  I  am  compelled, 
however,  to  begin  the  subject  with  some  sketches  in  my  own 
language.  Here  is  one,  wherein  the  right  of  taxation  for  education 
is  deduced  from  the  nature  and  objects  of  the  social  compact.  I  give 
it  in  outline  only : 

The  purpose  of  all  human  government  is  protection.  Every 
man  has  an  absolute  natural  right  to  life,  and  liberty,  and  such  prop- 
erty as  he  has  earned  or  otherwise  honestly  acquired ;  and  he  may 
properly  defend  these  against  all  comers.  If  anybody  attempts  to 
murder  him  he  may  strike  back,  and  if,  in  so  doing,  he  kills  his  assail- 
ant, he  is  held  blameless.  In  the  absence  of  outside  aid  he  must 
maintain  his  rights  himself,  or  lose  them.  But  he  may  combine  with 
others  for  protection,  thereby  foVming  what  is  called  the  social 
compact;  and  this  combination,  or  compact,  or  government,  may 
undertake  to  protect  each  of  its  members  from  being  murdered,  or 
enslaved,  or  robbed  ;  and  it  may  do  this  by  any  appropriate  means ; 
for  instance,  it  may  establish  courts,  build  jails,  employ  judges  and 
sheriffs  and  policemen.  These  are  held  to  be  appropriate  means  the 
world  over,  but  they  cost  money,  and,  as  their  purpose  and  effect 
is  to  protect  all  alike,  all  may  properly  be  required  to  share  in  the 
expense  of  supporting  them,  each  according  to  his  ability.  This  is 
taxation.  Nobody  denies  its  propriety.  It  grows  out  of  the  neces- 
sities of  the  case.  If  men  were  angels  the  case  would  be  different, 
and  taxation  might  probably  be  less.  But  these  repressive  agencies 
are  not  believed  to  be  the  only  means  adapted  to  the  protection  of 
society.  The  inventive  genius  of  mankind  has  been  at  work  to 
discover  others  less  repulsive.  Of  course,  if  other  means  or  agencies 
or  institutions  can  be  found  which  tend  to  protect  society,  they  will 
stand  on  the  same  ground  as  to  their  right  to  be  supported  by  taxa- 
tion that  courts  and  jails  do. 

Assuming  this  theory  to  be  correct,  philanthropists  have  under- 
taken to  find  some  such  other  means.  Observation  and  experiment 
began  a  long  time  ago.  It  was  discovered  and  recorded  in  a  very 
old  book  that  a  child  trained  up  in  the  way  he  should  go,  would  go 
that  way.  It  was  ascertained  that  the  patrons  of  jails  and  prisons 
were  generally  illiterate.  Acting  on  these  hints,  wise  men  began  to 
devise  means  for  training  children,  and  abolishing  illiteracy.  Col- 
leges and  universities  were  founded,  and  finally,  after  centuries  of 
trial  and  experiment,  the  common  schools.  They  are  proposed  as  a 


178  HISTORY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

substitute  for  the  machinery  of  force,  except  as  to  the  hopelessly 
incorrigible.  Their  effect  is  to  do  away  with,  or  greatly  abridge,  the 
need  of  repressive  agencies;  and  just  so  far  as  they  do  this,  they 
protect  society.  The  system  is  one  of  prevention.  It  undertakes  to 
afford  everybody's  children  an  opportunity  for  elementary  instruction 
and  thereby  help  them  to  become  good  citizens,  and  to  make  free 
government  possible.  Such  is  an  outline  of  the  argument. 

It  assumed,  of  course,  a  variety  of  forms  of  statement.  I 
remember  one  which  struck  me  at  the  time  as  a  little  peculiar,  but 
it  was  really  grounded  on  the  idea  just  stated.  Perhaps  I  had  better 
stop  long  enough  to  give  this  statement,  as  a  further  sample  of  the 
way  the  thinkers  of  the  past  generation  reasoned  about  this  matter 
of  taxation  for  promoting  the  general  welfare  and  the  general  safety. 
The  statement  to  which  I  refer  was  about  as  follows: 

The  great  Oxford  professor,  Dr.  Blackstone,  speaking  of  the 
absolute  natural  rights  of  man,  groups  them  all  together,  under 
the  general  term,  liberty.  Now,  liberty  is  the  idol  of  mankind. 
Whoever  can  find  out  a  means  of  promoting  it  is  sure  to  be  honored 
as  a  benefactor.  For  a  thousand  years  the  races  to  which  we  belong 
have  been  devising,  and  testing, -and  fighting  for  institutions  which 
they  believed  would  tend  to  secure  for  them  and  their  posterity  this 
supreme  good.  They  began  to  formulate  principles  of  government 
in  tlie  interest  of  liberty  as  far  back  as  the  middle  of  the  eleventh 
century,  when  Henry  II  assembled  a  great  council  at  Clarendon,  and 
brought  forward  therein  ordinances  defining  and  limiting  ecclesiastical 
authority.  Half  a  century  later,  they  made  the  plains  of  liunning- 
mede  forever  famous  as  the  place  where  the  great  charter  of  England 
was  promulgated  by  King  John,  in  the  presence  of  the  barons  who 
had  drawn  it  up,  and  a  vast  multitude  of  people. 

This  declaration  was  intended  to  define  and  protect  the  civil 
liberties  of  Englishmen.  Its  twenty-ninth  chapter  is  regarded  as  the 
corner  stone  of  the  British  constitution,  and  provides  that  no  free 
man  shall  be  taken,  or  imprisoned,  or  dispossessed  of  his  property, 
or  liberties,  or  outlawed,  or  punished  in  any  other  way,  unless  by  the 
judgment  of  his  equals  or  the  law  of  the  land.*  Fitz waiter  and  the 
old  barons  did  not  declare  for  wild,  unregulated  liberty.  They  did 
not  undertake  to  say  that  nobody  should  be  imprisoned,  or  dispos- 
sessed of  property  or  life.  That  was  not  their  idea  of  liberty  at 
Runningmede.  But  they  did  declare,  and  made  their  king  agree, 
that  none  of  these  things  should  be  done  except  in  pursuance  of  law 
and  the  verdict  of  a  jury.  That  was  their  idea  of  liberty  six  hundred 
years  ago.  It  has  not  been  much  improved  upon  since. 

Their  great  charter,  amended  and  enlarged,  was  again  promul- 
gated in  the  reign  of  Charles  I,  and  again  on  the  accession  of  William 

*"Xullus  liber  homo  capiatur,  vel  imprisonetur,  do  libero  tenemento  suo,  vel  libertatibus 
vol  liberis  consuetudinibus  suis,  aut  utlagetur  aut  exulitur,  aut  aliquo  modo  destruator,  nee 
super  cum  mittimus,  nisi,  per  le?;ili  judicum  parium  suorum,  vel  per  legein  terrae." 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  179 

and  Mary,  about  1688.  In  all  these  cases  the  people  had  been  obliged 
to  recover  their  liberties  "by  intrepid  councils,  or  by  force  of  arms," 
and  they  undertook,  by  formal  declarations,  to  construct  a  barrier 
against  future  encroachments. 

The  institution  they  invented  and  chiefly  relied  upon  for  the  pro- 
tection of  their  civil  liberties  has  come  to  be  known  as  the  common 
law;  the  old  barons  called  it  the  law  of  the  land.  It  made  use  of 
courts  and  all  the  officers  and  incidents  necessary  to  ascertain  and 
punish  violence  and  fraud,  and  to  settle  disputes.  They  held  it  to  be 
no  invasion  of  the  rights  of  property  to  compel  every  man,  according 
to  his  means,  to  contribute  to  the  support  of  these  instrumentalities, 
and  they  were  right.  These  agents  were  and  are  necessary  for  liberty 
and  safety.  But  it  can  hardly  be  said  that  they  are  the  only  ones. 
There  may  be  others.  The  test  is  protection  to  liberty.  The  ma- 
chinery of  the  common  law  was  devised  to  maintain  liberty  among 
men.  The  machinery  of  the  common  schools  does  the  same  thing. 
Both  stand  on  the  same  ground.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  soundness 
of  this  view  hinges  upon  statistics.  If  it  is  a  fact,  and  that  must  be 
shown  by  statistics,  that  the  common  schools  do  tend  to  decrease  the 
enemies  of  social  order,  and  to  increase  the  number  of  good  citizens, 
then  the  reasoning  is  sound. 

I  have  before  me  a  report  of  Hon.  J.  0.  Dore,  first  superinten- 
dent of  schools  for  Chicago,  made  about  the  time  of  the  passage  of 
the  free  school  law,  which  furnishes  some  of  these  statistics.  He 
says: 

"The  public  has  rights  as  well  as  individuals,  and  education  is 
the  surest  protection  to  both.  It  is  in  a  very  great  degree  the  pre- 
vention of  crime.  Out  of  28,000  convicts  in  the  State  of  New 
York  during  the  last  ten  years,  previous  to  1853,  only  one  hundred 
and  twenty-eight  had  received  the  advantages  of  a  good  common 
school  education.  More,  than  two  hundred  uneducated  persons 
became  convicts  to  every  one  who  had  received  a  common  school 
education.  In  view  of  these  facts,  who  will  hesitate  to  acknowl- 
edge that  our  public  school  system  is  the  security  of  the  State,  and 
that  the  public  has  a  right  to  demand,  and  enforce,  if  need  be,  the 
attendance  at  school  of  every  child  of  school-going  age,  until  a 
common  school  education  is  insured?  Suffering  children  to  grow 
up  in  ignorance  is  doing  violence  to  society.  Who  can  tell  how 
many  thousands,  pests  to  society,  rendering  necessary  policemen 
by  day,  and  sentinels  by  night,  and  courts  of  justice  through  the 
year  for  public  protection,  would  have  made  inoffensive  citizens 
had  they  possessed  a  good  public  school  education?  Who  can 
number  the  murders  perpetrated,  thefts  committed,  crimes  and 
misdemeanors  of  every  name  and  nature,  that  never  would  have 
been,  had  the  guilty  availed  themselves  of  the  advantages  of  the 
public  schools?  *  *  *  *  *  * 


180  HISTORY    OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

"In  a  country  of  free  competition  and  equal  rights,  whore  *  every 
man  is  heir  to  the  highest  honors  of  the  State,'  a  good  education  is 
indispensable  to  the  lull  enjoyment  of  those  rights.  Places  of 
honor,  trust,  and  profit,  can  be  filled  only  by  persons  qualified  to 
perform  the  duties  peculiar  to  such  positions.  It  is  in  the  public 
schools  that  the  great  majority  of  children  and  youth  are  to  be 
educated,  if  at  all.  The  question  then  comes  home  to  every  patriotic 
and  philanthropic  citizen,  shall  they  be  educated?  *  *  *  * 

"The  United  States  exhibit  the  relation  of  public  education  to  free 
institutions.  Their  public  school  systems  are  the  result  of  the  grandest 
conception  of  modern  times,  and  may  yet  make  the  tour  of  the  world." 

So  said  John  C.  Dore,  nearly  thirty  years  ago,  and  since  that 
time  the  system  has  been  spreading.  And  who  shall  say  that  it  will 
not  yet  make  the  tour  of  the  world  ?  But  I  should  mislead  if  I  confined 
myself  to  a  statement  of  fundamental  principles  and  to  the  reports  of 
school  officers.  There  was  an  exceedingly  practical  side  to  the  debate 
which-,  cropped  out,  more  particularly  in  State  Legislatures.  I  am 
glad  to  be  able  to  present  this  phase  of  the  great  common  school 
contest  in  the  words  of  one  of  its  most  celebrated  combatants.  (He 
did  not  reside  in  this  State,  and  the  speech  from  which  I  quote  was 
a  little  earlier  in  date  than  the  chief  discussion  here,  but  it  covers  the 
same  ground.  It  was  the  same  contest.) 

Pennsylvania  had  passed  a  free  school  law,  and  the  hosts  of 
ignorance  had  rallied  and  demanded  its  repeal.  In  answer  to  that 
demand,  Thaddeus  Stevens  said  (I  give  only  a  part) : 

"Mr.  Speaker:  I  will  briefly  give  you  the  reasons  why  I  shall 
oppose  the  repeal  of  the  school  law. 

"It  would  seem  to  be  humiliating  to  be  under  the  necessity,  in 
the  nineteenth  century,  of  entering  into  a  formal  argument  to  prove 
the  utility,  and,  to  free  governments,  the  absolute  necessity  of  educa- 
tion. More  than  two  thousand  years  ago,  the  Deity  who  presided 
over  intellectual  endowments,  ranked  highest  among  the  goddesses 
worshipped  by  cultivated  Pagans.  And  I  will  not  insult  this  House,  or 
our  constituents,  by  supposing  any  course  of  reasoning  necessary  to 
convince  them  of  its  high  importance.  If  an  elective  republic  is  to 
endure  for  any  great  length  of  time,  every  elector  must  have  sufficient 
information,  not  only  to  accumulate  wealth  and  take  care  of  his 
pecuniary  concerns,  but  to  direct  wisely  the  Legislature,  the  ambassa- 
dors, and  the  executive  of  the  nation,  for  some  part  of  all  these 
things,  some  agency,  in  approving  or  disapproving  of  them,  falls  to 
every  freeman.  If,  then,  the  permanency  of  our  government  depends 
upon  such  knowledge,  it  is  the  duty  of  government  to  see  that  the 
means  of  information  be  diffused  to  every  citizen.  This  is  a  sufficient 
answer  to  those  who  deem  education  a  private  and  not  a  public  duty 
— who  argue  that  they  are  willing  to  educate  their  own  children,  but 
not  their  neighbors1  children. 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  181 

"The  amendment  which  is  now  proposed  as  a  substitute  for  the 
school  law  of  last  session  is,  in  my  opinion,  of  a  most  hateful  and 
degrading  character.  It  is  a  re-enactment  of  the  pauper  law  of  1809. 
It  proposes  that  the  assessors  shall  take  a  census,  and  make  a  record 
of  the  poor.  This  shall  be  revised,  and  a  new  record  made  by  the 
county  commissioners,  so  that  the  names  of  those  who  have  the 
misfortune  to  be  poor  men's  children,  shall  be  forever  preserved, 
as  a  distinct  class,  in  the  archives  of  the  country!  Sir,  Hereditary 
distinctions  of  rank  are  sufficiently  odious,  but  that  which  is  founded 
on  poverty  is  infinitely  more  so.  Such  a  law  should  be  entitled  'an 
act  for  branding  and  marking  the  poor,  so  that  they  may  be  known 
from  the  rich  and  proud.' 

"Many  complain  of  this  tax,  not  so  much  on  account  of  its 
amount,  as  because  it  is  for  the  benefit  of  others,  and  not  themselves. 
This  is  a  mistake;  it  is  for  their  own  benefit,  inasmuch  as  it  perpetuates 
the  government  and  ensures  the  due  administration  of  the  laws  under 
which  they  live,  and  by  which  their  lives  and  property  are  protected. 

"This  law  is  often  objected  to,  because  its  benefits  are  shared 
by  the  children  of  the  profligate  spendthrift  equally  with  those  of 
the  most  industrious  and  economical  habits.  It  ought  to  be  remem- 
bered that  the  benefit  is  bestowed,  not  upon  the  erring  parents,  but 
the  innocent  children. 

"It  is  said  that  its  advantages  will  be  unjustly  and  unequaly 
enjoyed,  because  the  industrious,  money-making  man  keeps  his  whole 
family  constantly  employed,  and  has  but  little  time  for  them  to  spend 
at  school,  while  the  idle  man  has  but  little  employment  for  his  family 
and  they  will  constantly  attend  school.  I  know,  sir,  that  there  are 
some  men  whose  whole  souls  are  completely  absorbed  in  the  accumu- 
lation of  wealth,  and  whose  avarice  so  increases  with  success  that 
they  look  upon  their  children  in  no  other  light  than  as  instruments  of 
gain ;  that  they,  as  well  as  the  ox  and  the  ass.  within  their  gates,  are 
valuable  only  in  proportion  to  their  annual  earnings.  And,  accord- 
ing to  the  present  system,  the  children  of  such  men  are  reduced 
almost  to  an  intellectual  level  with  their  co-laborers  of  the  brute 
creation.  The  law  will  be  of  vast  advantage  to  the  offspring  of  such 
misers.  If  they  are  compelled  to  pay  their  taxes  to  support  schools, 
their  very  meanness  will  induce  them  to  send  their  children  to  the 
schools  to  get  the  worth  of  their  money. 

"  In  New  England,  free  schools  plant  the  seeds  and  the  desire  of 
knowledge  in  every  mind,  without  regard  to  the  wealth  of  the  parent 
or  the  texture  of  the  pupil's  garments.  It  is  no  uncommon  occur- 
rence to  see  the  poor  man's  son,  thus  encouraged  by  wise  legislation, 
far  outstrip  and  bear  off  the  laurels  from  the  less  industrious  heirs  of 
wealth.  Some  of  the  ablest  men  of  the  present  and  past  days  never 
could  have  been  educated  except  for  that  benevolent  system.  Not  to 
mention  any  of  the  living,  it  is  well  known  that  the  architect  of  au 


1S2  HISTOBY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

immortal  name,  who  'plucked  the  lightnings  from  heaven,  and  the 
sceptre  from  tyrants,'  was  a  child  of  free  schools. 

"But  we  are  told  that  this  law  is  unpopular;  that  the  people 
desire  its  repeal.  But,  sir,  much  of  its  unpopularity  is  chargeable 
upon  the  vile  arts  of  unprincipled  demagogues.  I  do  not  charge  this 
upon  any  particular  party.  Unfortunately,  almost  the  only  spot  on 
which  all  parties  meet  in  union  is  this  ground  of  common  infamy. 
I  have  seen  the  present  chief  magistrate  of  this  commonwealth 
violently  assailed  as  the  projector  and  father  of  this  law.  I  am  not 
the  eulogist  of  that  gentleman ;  he  has  been  guilty  of  many  dee]) 
political  sins ;  but  he  deserves  the  undying  gratitude  of  the  people 
for  the  steady,  untiring  zeal  which  he  has  manifested  in  favor  of 
common  schools.  I  trust  that  the  people  of  this  State  will  never  be 
called  on  to  choose  between  a  supporter  and  an  opposer  of  free 
schools.  But  if  it  should  come  to  that ;  if  that  should  be  made  the 
turning  point  on  which  we  are  to  cast  our  suffrages ;  if  the  opponent 
of  education  were  my  most  intimate  personal  and  political  friend, 
and  the  free  school  candidate  my  most  obnoxious  enemy,  I  should 
deem  it  my  duty  as  a  patriot,  at  this  moment  of  our  intellectual 
crisis,  to  forget  all  other  considerations,  and  I  should  place  myself 
unhesitatingly  and  cordially  in  the  ranks  of  him  whose  banner 
streams  in  light. 

"It  is  said  that  some  gentlemen  lost  their  election  by  being  in 
favor  of  the  school  law.  I  believe  that  is  true  of  the  two  highly 
respected  members  of  the  last  Legislature  from  Union  County.  They 
were  summoned  before  a  county  meeting  and  requested  to  pledge 
themselves  to  vote  for  its  repeal  as  the  price  of  their  reelection.  But 
they  were  too  high-minded  and  honorable  to  consent  to  such  degrada- 
tion. They  fell,  it  is  true,  in  this  great  struggle  between  the  powers  of 
light  and  darkness;  but  they  fell,  as  every  Roman  mother  wished  her 
sons  to  fall,  facing  the  enemy,  with  all  their  wounds  in  front. 

"True  it  is,  that  two  other  gentlemen,  and  I  believe  two  only, 
lost  their  election  on  account  of  their  votes  on  that  question.  I  refer 
to  the  late  members  from  Berks,  who  were  candidates  for  reelection; 
and  I  regret  that  gentlemen  whom  I  so  highly  respect,  and  whom  I 
take  pleasure  in  ranking  among  my  personal  friends,  had  not  possessed 
a  little  more  nerve  to  enable  them  to  withstand  the  assaults  which 
were  made  upon  them;  or,  if  they  must  be  overpowered,  to  wrap 
their  mantles  gracefully  around  them  and  yield  with  dignity.  But  this, 
I  am  aware,  requires  a  high  degree  of  fortitude;  and  those  respected 
gentlemen,  distracted  and  faltering  between  the  dictates  of  conscience 
and  the  clamor  of  the  populace,  at  length  turned  and  fled;  but  duty 
had  detained  them  so  long  that  they  fled  too  late,  and  the  shaft  which 
had  already  been  winged  by  ignorance,  overtook  and  pierced  them 
from  behind. 

"I  am  happy  to  say,  sir,  that  a  more  fortunate  fate  awaited  our 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  183 

friends  from  York.  Possessing  a  keener  insight  into  futurity,  and  a 
sharper  instinct  of  danger,  they  saw  the  peril  at  a  greater  distance, 
and  retreated  in  time  to  escape  the  fury  of  the  storm,  and  can  now 
safely  boast  that  "discretion  is  the  better  part  of  valor,"  and  that 
"they  fought  and  ran  away,"  "and  lived  to  tight — on  t'  other  side." 
Sir,  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  any  gentleman  should  have  consented 
to  place  his  election  on  hostility  to  general  education.  But  will  this 
Legislature,  guardians  of  the  dearest  interests  of  a  great  common- 
wealth, consent  to  surrender  the  high  advantages  and  brilliant  pros- 
pects which  this  law  promises  because  it  is  desired  by  worthy  gentle- 
men who,  in  a  moment  of  causeless  panic  and  popular  delusion,  sailed 
into  power  on  a  Tartarean  flood  ?  A  flood  of  ignorance,  darker,  and 
to  the  intelligent  mind,  more  dreadful  than  that  accursed  pool  at 
which  mortals  and  immortals  tremble!  Sir,  it  seems  to  me  that  the 
liberal  and  enlightened  proceedings  of  the  last  Legislature  have 
aroused  the  demon  of  ignorance  from  his  slumber;  and,  maddened 
at  the  threatened  loss  of  his  murky  empire,  his  discordant  bowlings 
arc  heard  in  every  part  of  our  land. 

"The  barbarous  and  disgraceful  cry  'that  learning  makes  us 
worse;  that  education  makes  men  rogues,'  should  find  no  echo  within 
these  walls.  Those  who  hold  such  doctrines  anywhere,  would  be  the 
objects  of  bitter  detestation,  if  they  were  not  rather  the  pitiable 
objects  of  compassion,  for  even  voluntary  fools  require  our  compas- 
sion, as  well  as  natural  idiots. 

"In  giving  this  law  to  posterity,  you  act  the  part  of  the 
philanthropist  and  philosopher.  Those  who  would  add  thereto  the 
glory  of  the  hero,  can  acquire  it  here;  for  in  the  present  state  of 
feeling  in  Pennsylvania,  I  am  willing  to  admit  that  but  little  less 
dangerous  to  the  public  man  is  the  war-club  and  battle-axe  of  savage 
ignorance,  than  to  the  lion-hearted  Richard  was  the  keen  scimetar  of 
the  Saracen.  He  who  would  oppose  it,  either  through  inability  to 
comprehend  the  advantages  of  general  education,  or  from  unwilling- 
ness to  bestow  them  on  all  his  fellow-citizens,  even  to  the  lowest  and 
the  poorest,  or  from  dread  of  popular  vengeance,  seems  to  me  to 
want  either  the  head  of  the  philosopher,  the  heart  of  the  philan- 
thropist, or  the  nerve  of  the  hero." 

Such  was  the  language  of  the  men  who  fought  the  great  battle  of 
free  schools.  It  was  the  same  battle  in  Illinois  as  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  was  won  in  the  same  way  in  both  States. 

Suppose  you  join  me  on  a  trip  to  Springfield,  and  having  made 
yourselves  comfortable  in  the  gallery  of  the  old  capitol,  as  it  was 
in  February,  1857,  turn  your  attention  to  the  proceedings  going  on 
in  the  hall  below.  A  man  of  medium  size,  wearing  spectacles,  rises 
t<>  address  the  assembled  legislators.  It  is  evident  that  some  measure 
of  more  than  usual  interest  is  about  to  be  considered,  or  that  some 
man  of  more  than  usual  ability  is  about  to  speak;  probably  both. 


184  HISTORY   OP   THE    ILLINOIS 

I 

The  members  have  discontinued  their  letter-writing  and  are  giving, 
attention : 

"Mr.  Speaker:  As  chairman  of  the  House  committee  on  edu- 
cation, it  becomes  my  duty  to  explain  the  changes  made  in  the 
present  school  law  by  the  joint  committee  of  both  houses,"  began 
lion.  S.  W.  Moulton,  of  Shelby.  "I  believe  I  may  say  with  truth 
that  out  of  the  one  hundred  members  of  this  Legislature,  there  are 
none  but  are  in  favor  of  taxation  for  the  support  of  common  schools." 

Recollect  it  is  now  in  1857.  The  great  struggle  of  a  quarter  of 
a  century  culminated  two  years  before  when  the  two-mill  tax  was  put 
upon  the  statute-book.  The  questions  now  at  issue  have  reference 
to  perfecting  the  law  and  distributing  the  fund.  Mr.  Moulton 
continues : 

"The  friends  of  this  bill  assume,  as  the  true  principles  that 
should  govern  its  distribution  (the  tax),  that  two-thirds  be  distributed 
upon  population  equally  all  over  the  State,  and  one  third  upon  terri- 
tory. Those  who  oppose  this  distribution  adopt  the  amendment 
proposed  by  the  late  superintendent,  viz.:  That  the  amount  of  the 
two-mill  tax  collected  in  each  county  should  be  repaid  to  the  several 
counties  without  regard  to  population,  or  other  circumstances.  This 
is  the  statement  of  the  question. 

"Mr.  Speaker,  I  presume  but  little  difference  of  opinion  exists 
as  to  the  true  object  of  the  two-mill  tax — that  of  providing  means  for 
the  education  of  all  the  children  of  the  State,  and  that  each  child  is 
of  right  entitled  to  an  equal  share  of  the  tax,  without  regard  to 
condition  or  locality,  or  from  what  particular  part  of  the  State  it  was 
collected.  This  principle  has  its  foundation  in  the  fact  that  every 
child  has  an  absolute  right  to  an  education  at  the  hands  of  somebody, 
to  an  extent  that  shall  properly  qualify  him  to  discharge  his  duties 
as  a  citizen.  Experience  shows  that  when  education  is  left  to  the 
voluntary  actions  of  parents  and  others,  it  is  greatly  neglected,  and 
amounts  almost  to  a  failure.  Children  come  into  the  world  in  a  help- 
less condition,  and  remain  so  for  years.  They  cannot  educate 
themselves  any  more  than  they  can  provide  for  themselves  food 
and  clothing.  Hence,  the  duty  and  necessity  of  government,  pro- 
viding by  general  laws,  ample  means  for  their  education.  This  can 
only  be  done  by  taxation ;  and  I  hold  that,  as  this  tax  is  collected  by 
the  same  persons  and  in  the  same  manner  as  all  other  State  taxes 
are,  it  should  be  disbursed  upon  the  same  principle,  without  regard 
to  where,  from  what  person,  or  from  what  county  or  locality  col- 
lected ;  and  that  any  other  principle  of  disbursement  operates 
unequal  y  and  unjustly. 

"The  tax  being  collected  from  all  the  property  of  the  State,  and 
the  object  being  the  education  of  all  the  children  of  the  State,  it 
seems  to  me  that  it  follows  as  an  irresistable  conclusion,  that  each 
child  is  entitled  to  an  equal  pro  rata  share  of  all  the 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  185 

collected;  that  if  the  aggregate  amount  collected  is  equal  to  five 
dollars  for  each  child,  then  that  is  the  amount  that  each  child  is 
entitled  to,  without  regard  to  any  other  circumstances,  and  especially 
whether  one  county  pays  more  or  less  than  another. 

"If  property  is  to  educate  the  children  of  a  State,  then  the  rich 
counties  ought  to  pay  more  than  the  poor  counties,  because  they  have 
more  to  pay  with,  just  as  the  rich  man  pays  more  than  the  poor  man. 
No  county  or  individual  has  an  absolute  and  unlimited  control  over 
property.  It  may  be  regarded  as  held  in  trust  for  certain  purposes. 
The  right  of  every  child  in  the  land  to  be  educated  is  one  of  these, 
and  of  primary  importance,  upon  which  our  government  stands. 
This  great  principle,  I  trust,  will  never  be  subverted  and  lost  sight  of 
by  the  adoption  of  the  principle  that  particular  localities  shall  receive 
back  just  what  they  pay,  which  amounts  to  no  taxation  at  all." 

''Mr.  Speaker,  1  desire  only  to  say  a  word  as  to  the  result  of 
the  free  school  experiment  in  this  State.  Two  years  since  the  system 
was  adopted,  and  it  went  into  operation  under  not  very  favorable 
auspices.  It  was  rather  a  novel  thing  to  many  of  our  citizens,  some 
of  them  being  greatly  prejudiced  against  it ;  and  besides,  there  were 
man}'  defects  and  objectionable  things  in  the  old  law.  But,  notwith- 
standing the  many  disadvantages  of  the  old  law,  the  expectation  of 
its  friends  had  been  more  than  realized.  The  people  have  been 
aroused  from  the  apathy  that  enthralled  them;  they  have  been 
brought  into  direct  contact  with  the  system,  good  or  bad,  for  when  a 
people  are  taxed  for  a  thing,  they  become  interested  in  it.  The 
result  seems  to  be  that  the  great  mass  of  the  people  everywhere  are 
in  favor  of  continuing  the  two-mill  tax,  and  differ  only  about  the 
details  of  the  law.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  worthy  of  all  remem- 
brance, that  no  State  or  people  who  have  once  adopted  a  free  school 
system  ever  abandoned  it." 

The  chairman  is  supported  by  Dr.  Gowdy  and  others,  and 
opposed  by  Mr.  Sparks  and  others,  but  his  bill  prevails  and  "is 
passed;"  and  from  that  event  I  date  the  real  beginning  of  the 
grandest  institution  of  the  State,  her  free  schools. 

You  will  see  that  I  have  now  called  attention  to  early  legisla- 
tion in  the  State  wherein  taxation  for  the  support  of  schools  was 
directly  drawn  in  issue ;  to  the  reasoning  from  fundamental  principles 
of  civil  government  by  which  the  friends  of  free  schools  undertook  to 
justify  them;  to  a  report  of  a  school  officer,  Hon.  J.  C.  Dore, 
twenty-seven  years  ago;  to  a  speech  on  the  merits  of  the  free  school 
system,  by  lion.  Thaddeus  Stevens;  and  to  a  speech  on  perfecting  and 
harmonizing  our  own  system,  by  Hon.  S.  "W.  Moulton.  This  is  as 
full  and  fair  a  presentation  as  I  am  able  to  make  in  the  time  allotted. 

I  now  come  to  a  separate  consideration  of  the  head  school  of  the 
system,  and  I  can  not  better  introduce  the  subject  than  by  stating  the 
idea  of  a  Normal  School  as  understood  at  the  time  it  was  established. 


180  HISTORY    (IF    T1IK    ILLINOIS 

Fortunately,  I  can  do  so  in  the  words  then  used.     I  quote  from  the 
Illinois  Teacher: 

"The  idea  of  Normal  Schools  is  a  very  simple  idea.  It  proceeds 
merely  upon  the  ground  that  a  man  may  profit  by  the  experience  of 
other  men,  as  well  as  by  his  own;  not  by  the  experience  of  one 
predecessor  alone,  but  of  a  whole  lineage  of  them  ;  not  by  the 
experience  of  one  contemporary  alone,  but  of  any  contemporaries 
who  know  more,  on  any  common  point  between  them,  than  he  does. 
Now,  the  person  who  denies  the  utility  of  Normal  Schools,  under- 
takes to  refute  such  a  proposition.  He  affirms  that  one  man  cannot 
derive  knowledge  from  the  experience  of  others;  that  Tubal  Cain 
made  as  good  household  or  agricultural  implements  as  can  now  be 
found  in  Chicago,  reaping  machines  included.  He  undertakes  to 
show  that  Fulton's  first  steamboat,  which  went  from  New  York  to 
Albany  at  the  rate  of  four  and  a  half  miles  an  hour,  was  equal  to 
those  which  now  shoot,  arrow-like,  up  and  down  the  Mississippi.  In 
a  word,  he  denies  that  experience  teaches,  and  that  light  enlightens. 
The  object  of  Normal  Schools  is  to  teach  teachers  how  to  teach." 

Such  was  a  teachers'  idea  of  Normal  Schools  as  he  wrote  it  twenty- 
five  years  ago.  The  Industrial  League,  an  important  organization, 
took  a  similar  view  of  professional  schools,  as  appears  from  its 
memorial  to  the  Legislature  in  1853.  They  say  :  "We,  the  members 
of  the  industrial  classes  are  still  compelled  to  work  empirically  and 
blindly,  without  needful  books,  schools  or  means,  by  the  slow  process 
of  that  individual  experience  that  lives  and  dies  with  the  man.  Our 
professional  brethren,  through  their  universities,  books  and  teachers, 
combine  and  concentrate  the  practical  experience  of  ages  in  each 
man's  life." 

Such  was  their  idea.  These  people  seem  to  have  thought  that 
one  man  might  learn  something  from  the  experience  of  another,  and 
one  generation  from  the  experience  of  another  generation ;  and  that 
it  was  worth  while  to  gather  up  these  experiences  and  make  them 
available.  They  thought  they  could  do  this,  as  the  doctors  and 
lawyers  and  ministers  had  done  it ;  by  establishing  professional 
schools. 

The  great  thinker  and  orator  of  that  day,  on  these  questions — 
the  man  who  towered  above  his  fellows  like  a  Colossus — was  Pro- 
fessor John  B.  Turner.  His  speech  to  the  farmers  and  mechanics 
at  Granville,  in  1851,  set  in  motion  a  movement  which  spread  and 
strengthened  until  finally  Congress  responded  by  endowing  pro- 
fessional schools  for  the  industrial  classes  in  all  the  States.  From 
the  first,  Prof.  Turner  placed  a  Normal  College  at  the  head  of  the 
colleges  or  departments  of  his  proposed  university.  The  League 
was  a  unit  on  that  question.  Arny,  Murray,  Pennell,  Kennicott, 
Rutherford,  Minier — all  agreed.  A  committee  of  the  State  Senate, 
to  whom  was  referred  their  memorial,  reported  in  1854,  I  think,  that 


STATE    NORMAL    UNI VKKSITV.  1ST 

"in  education,  as  in  all  other  subjects,  there  are  certain  truths  that 
are  self-evident,  or  at  least  so  nearly  so,  that  they  are  admitted  as 
axioms  by  all  men  acquainted  with  the  subject.  One  of  these  self- 
evident  propositions  is,  that  the  teacher  must  exist  before  the  scholar 
can  be  taught.  Whoever,  therefore,  would  begin  at  the  foundation 
of  any  system  of  public  instruction  must  provide  the  means  for 
furnishing  a  supply  of  competent  teachers;  and  without  these,  it  is 
equally  self-evident  that  any  system  of  common  school  instruction, 
however  wise  in  its  laws  or  ample  in  its  expenditures,  or  free  arid 
accessible  to  rich  and  poor,  will  prove  a  useless  tax  on  the  one,  and 
a  waste  of  time,  if  not  a  nuisance,  to  the  other." 

How  much  have  you  improved  on  these  "self-evident"  prop- 
ositions during  the  last  quarter  of  a  century?  The  statesmen  who 
signed  that  report  were  George  Gage,  John  D.  Arnold  and  Joseph 
Morton. 

I  have  drawn  attention  to  the  Industrial  League  because  it  had 
considerable  influence  in  preparing  the  way  for  the  Normal  School. 
1  must,  also,  refer  to  some  facts  about  the  State  school  funds.  From 
time  to  time,  as  money  accrued  to  these  funds  from  the  sale  of  lands, 
the  Legislature  appropriated  it  to  the  ordinary  expenses  of  govern- 
ment; and  directed  the  State  Treasurer  to  enter  on  his  books  the 
amount,  so  appropriated,  to  the  credit  of  the  funds;  and  thereafter 
the  State  paid  interest  on  the  amount  so  taken  and  used,  and  applied 
it  to  the  support  of  the  common  schools.  There  were  three  of  these 
State  school  funds,  but  the  interest  on  the  college  and  on  the  sem- 
inary funds  was  consolidated  with  the  interest  on  the  common  school 
fund,  and  disbursed  for  the  support  of  the  common  schools. 

Against  this  illegal  diversion  of  the  interest  on  the  college  and 
seminary  funds,  the  League  was  the  first  to  protest.  In  one  of  its 
memorials  to  the  Legislature,  it  explains  how  the  funds  were  being 
frittered  awray:  "The  annual  interest  on  the  university  fund  is  about 
nine  thousand  dollars.  If  this  should  be  divided  between  ten  or 
fifteen  colleges  (as  was  proposed  by  some),  it  would  give  them  only 
from  six  hundred  to  nine  hundred  dollars  each  per  annum.  Divided 
among  one  hundred  counties  (as  was  proposed  by  others),  it  would 
give  them  only  ninety  dollars  each  for  a  high  school,  or  other  pur- 
pose. Divided,  as  it  now  is,  among  the  million  of  our  people,  it  gives 
nine  mills,  or  less  than  one  cent,  to  each  person." 

Plainly  the  fund  was  not  large  enough  to  be  of  any  great  account 
to  the  common  schools  directly;  and  it  was  not  intended  by  Congivss 
to  be  so  applied.  In  the  special  report  to  the  State  Senate,  from 
which  I  have  quoted,  this  matter  was  considered  and  the  committee 
said : 

"The  universities  and  higher  schools  of  Europe,  and  of  the 
older  States  of  this  continent,  were  founded  long  before  »any  attempt 
was  made  at  a  thorough  system  of  common  schools,  and  through 


188  HISTORY   OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

them  teachers  were  prepared  to  descend  into,  create,  and  instruct  all 
departments  below.  If  any  State  ever  can  secure  a  good  system  of 
common  schools,  for  the  people,  by  any  other  process,  it  is  certain  no 
one  yet  has  done  it,  nor  is  it  easy  to  see  or  imagine  how  it  can 
be  done. 

"In  accordance  with  this  view,  and  in  distinct  recognition  of 
this  great  fact,  Congress  granted  to  each  new  State  of  the  west  three 
separate  funds, — university,  seminary,  and  common  school, — well 
knowing  that  the  experience  of  the  civilized  world  demonstrates  the 
need  of  three  departments  in  education  as  well  as  of  three  depart- 
ments in  the  government  of  a  free  State. 

"It  is  believed  that  no  State  but  our  own  has  ever  attempted  to 
reverse  this  decision  of  law,  and  our  success  so  far  in  this  enterprise 
is,  to  say  the  least,  not  very  nattering." 

So  the  report  was  adverse  to  the  practice  of  applying  the 
proceeds  of  the  college  and  seminary  funds  to  the  support  of  the 
common  schools,  but  it  was  made  too  late  in  the  session  for  action, 
and  the  matter  went  over  to  the  next  Legislature. 

Meanwhile,  a  new  power  had  been  growing  up  in  the  State.  It 
found  public  expression  through  the  State  Teachers'  Association. 
You  know  the  men,  Simeon  Wright,  Newton  Bateman,  S.  M.  Ktter, 
D.  S.  Went  worth,  William  II.  Wells,  B.  G.  Boots,  L.  H.  Potter, 
W.  II.  Haskell,  J.  Stone,  Jr.  I  need  not  read  the  roll.  It  is  a  long 
one,  and  an  honorable  one.  These  men  took  counsel  together  at 
Chicago,  in  December,  1856,  as  to  what  had  better  be  done  or  recom- 
mended. It  was  at  a  crisis  in  the  intellectual  history  of  the  State. 
The  free  school  law,  then  lately  enacted,  was  on  trial.  It  was  crude 
in  many  provisions,  and  had  some  serious  defects,  chief  of  which 
was  the  total  omission  to  provide  any  means  for  keeping  up  a  supply 
of  competent  teachers,  and  the  esprit  de  corps  of  the  profession. 

One  result  of  that  conference — that  meeting  of  the  Teachers' 
Association  at  Chicago,  in  1856 — became  public  a  few  weeks  later,  at 
Springfield,  where  the  legislators  had  assembled.  The  bill,  which 
disclosed  the  views  and  wishes  of  the  Chicago  conference  of  teachers, 
was  entitled  "An  Act  for  the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  a 
Normal  University,"  and  it  called  out  a  somewhat  extended  discus- 
sion of  the  nature  and  office  of  Normal  Schools,  and  of  their 
practicability  and  expediency.  I  have  been  unable  to  procure  but 
one  of  the  speeches  delivered  on  that  occasion,  and  from  that  must 
infer  the  tenor  of  the  others — ex  uno  disce  omnes.  The  speech 
which  I  have  was  made  by  Hon.  C.  B.  Denio,  of  Jo  Daviess: 

"Mr.  Speaker:  "I  had  not  intended  to  make  any  remarks  on 
this  bill,  but  since  my  name  appears  as  one  of  the  corporators,  and 
after  the  unwarrantable  insinuation  of  the  gentleman  from  Union, 
that  some  gentlemen  upon  this  floor  are  influenced  in  their  support  of 
this  measure  because  their  names  are  included  among  the  corporators, 


STATK  NORMAL  UNIVERSITY.  !>!> 

I  deem  it  due  to  myself  to  state  ray  position  to  this  House,  and  give  a 
few  reasons  for  the  hearty  support  I  shall  lend  this  measure.  I 
happen,  unlike  the  honorable  gentleman  from  Union,  to  be  numbered 
among  those  who,  in  early  life,  were  deprived  of  the  advantages  of 
even  a  common  school  education.  Had  I  enjoyed  the  advantages  of 
that  gentleman  in  my  youth,  and,  sir,  had  I  been  favored  with  the 
long  legislative  experience  of  that  gentleman,  I  might  to-day  realize 
less  keenly  than  I  do,  my  inexpeiience  and  want  of  these  advan- 
tages ;  and,  sir,  I  might  be  found  battling  on  this  floor,  side  by  side 
with  that  gentleman,  against  extending  to  others  those  privileges 
which  are  the  freeman's  shield  and  the  safeguard  of  the  State.  But, 
Mr.  Speaker,  in  my  time  and  in  that  part  of  the  country  where  I  was 
raised,  one  might  travel  a  whole  day  and  not  find  the  sign  of  a 
school  house ;  or,  if  he  did,  it  would  be  only  a  little  log  hut,  window- 
less  and  doorless.  But,  sir,  a  new  era  is  dawning.  Within  two  years, 
and  since  the  passage  of  the  law  which  the  honorable  gentleman  only 
a  few  days  ago  voted  against,  school  houses  have  sprung  up  in  every 
part  of  the  State,  and  by  this  time,  perhaps,  they  have  one  even  in 
Jonesboro. 

"Now,  sir,  so  far  as  the  objection  to  this  application  of  the 
interest  of  these  'sacred'  funds  is 'concerned,  it  seems  to  me  that 
some  gentlemen  have  all  at  once  become  wonderfully  fearful  that  the 
'sacred'  fund  (as  they  are  pleased  to  call  it)  will  be  diverted  from  its 
legitimate  channel.  Why,  sir,  by  reference  to  the  journal  of  this 
Legislature  some  years  since,  I  find  that  the  gentleman  from  Union, 
and  his  political  friends  were  feasting  on  oysters  by  appropriations 
from  this  same  'sacred'  fund!  And  now,  because  it  is  proposed, 
after  the  lapse  of  nearly  fifty  years,  to  turn  the  interest  of  these  funds 
to  their  legitimate  course,  the  gentleman  holds  up  his  hands  in  holy 
horror. 

"Mr.  Dougherty:  Can  the  gentleman  from  Jo  Daviess  state  the 
amount  belonging  to  these  funds  appropriated  at  any  one  time  by 
the  State? 

"Mr.  Denio:  I  will  answer  the  gentleman  by  saying  that, 
whether  I  can  state  the  exact  amount  taken  at  any  one  time  or  not, 
does  not  matter,  so  far  as  the  fact  is  concerned  that  the  State  has  used 
up  all  these  sacred  funds,  and  grudgingly  paid  into  the  common 
school  fund  six  per  cent.  only.  And  who  are  the  gentlemen  in  this 
House  mostly  implicated  in  this  matter?  If  you  will  go  with  me  to 
the  office  below  (the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State  was  under  the 
hall  of  the  House)  you  will  see  by  the  names  that  the  persons  who 
are  now  so  fearful  that  the  school  fund  will  be  diverted  from  its 
legitimate  direction,  were  in  former  years  willing  to  pay  themselves 
out  of  that  fund ;  and  chose  to  do  so  rather  than  take  the  responsi- 
bility of  taxing  the  people.  I  suppose  they  acted  in  view  of  the  fact 
that  the  little  boys  and  girls  could  not  vote,  and  their  fathers  could. 

13 


190  HISTORY   OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

"What  does  this  bill  do?  Sir,  it  proposes  to  educate  teachers 
for  the  people's  colleges.  For  these  schools  we  must  have  teachers, 
and  I  think  we  should  have  western  teachers,  educated  here  at  home. 
True,  Governor  Slade  has  done  well  in  sending  westward  young 
women  who  not  only  make  good  teachers,  but  good  wives.  But  I 
am  not  disposed  to  depend  forever  on  such  efforts.  It  is  due  to  the 
State  of  Illinois  that  she  take  a  nobler  stand,  and  provide  the  means 
for  educating  her  own  young  men  and  women  to  become  teachers. 

"The  gentleman  says  we  can  not  educate  enough  teachers  to 
satisfy  one-tenth  of  the  wants  of  the  State.  I  have  not  the  slightest 
hope  that  this  school  can  furnish  a  teacher  for  every  school  in  the 
State;  but  it  can  and  will,  in  a  few  years,  furnish  one,  perhaps  two, 
for  every  county.  Their  knowledge  will  become  available  to  other 
teachers,  and  in  this  way  the  Normal  School  will  multiply  its 
usefulness. 

"  'But,'  says  my  friend  from  Union,  'there  is  no  guaranty  that 
these  men  will  continue  to  teach  after  they  are  prepared  in  this 
school.'  In  reply  .to  this  I  have  only  to  say  that  that  will  depend 
entirely  on  whether  or  not  we  are  willing  to  pay  them  a  reasonable 
compensation. 

"Mr.  Speaker,  I  am  somewhat  surprised  that  the  speech  just 
delivered  by  my  friend  from  Coles  should  for  a  moment  have 
disturbed  or  alarmed  the  friends  of  the  bill  before  the  House.  It  is 
true,  he  has  made  a  speech  against  the  bill;  but  this,  to  me,  is  a 
promise  of  a  good  time  coming.  I  argue  from  the  fact  that  he  has  ' 
spoken  against  the  bill,  that  we  may  depend  upon  his  vote  with  us 
for  the  bill.  This  has  been  the  gentleman's  way  of  doing  business 
all  winter.  He  has  always  convinced  himself  while  speaking  that  he 
was  wrong,  and  then  voted  against  his  own  speech.  I  am  not 
looking  for  a  departure  from  his  usual  practice.  I  expect  his  vote 
for  the  measure." 

I  have  a  dim  recollection  that  the  gentleman  from  Jo  Daviess 
once  told  me  that  the  gentleman  from  Coles  went  back  on  him,  and 
ruined  his  reputation  as  a  prophet,  by  voting  against  the  bill. 

"There  are  certain  reasons,"  continued  Mr.  Denio,  "why I  wish 
to  see  this  bill  become  a  law.  It  is  not  in  all  respects  the  thing  I  am 
in  favor  of,  or  have  been  in  favor  of.  I  have  been,  and  am  now,  of 
the  opinion  that  something  like  an  Industrial  University,  on  the  plan 
of  Prof.  Turner,  was  demanded  and  should  be  adopted ;  and,  acting 
on  that  opinion,  I  introduced  the  following  resolution  into  the  Legis- 
lature, in  February,  1853,  and  it  was  adopted  unanimously  by  that 
body: 

"Resolved,  by  the  House  of  Representatives,  the  Senate  concur- 
ring therein,  That  our  senators  in  Congress  be  instructed,  and  our 
representatives  be  requested,  to  use  their  best  exertions  to  procure 
the  passage  of  a  law  of  Congress,  donating  to  each  State  in  the  Union 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  191 

an  amount  of  public  lands  not  less  in  value  than  five  hundred  thous- 
and dollars,  for  the  endowment  of  a  system  of  Industrial  Universities, 
one  in  each  State,  for  the  more  liberal  and  practical  education  of  our 
industrial  classes  and  their  teachers. 

"This  resolution  was  presented  to  Congress  by  Hon.  E.  B. 
Wash  burn,  of  my  district,  and  the  lands  were  asked  for,  but  nothing 
has  yet  been  done." 

I  call  attention  to  the  dates.  Prof.  Turner  outlined  his  plan  for 
a  University  in  1851.  In  1853,  February  8,  the  State  Legislature 
took  action.  These  were  the  first  steps  taken  anywhere,  so  far  as  I 
know,  to  procure  an  endowment  by  Congress  for  Industrial  Univer- 
sities in  the  several  States. 

"At  that  time,  1853,  it  was  thought  best  to  take  a  part  of  the 
University  and  Seminary  funds  to  start  such  an  institution.  But 
there  were  too  many  '  old  fogies '  in  the  Legislature,  and  too  many 
men  in  Congress  who  preferred  to  attend  to  the  interests  of  railroad 
companies  rather  than  the  interests  of  the  people  and  their  education. 
So  nothing  was  done.  We  now  have  a  chance  to  do  something  to 
promote  the  welfare  of  the  common  schools,  by  furnishing  them  with 
competent  teachers,  educated  at  home.  I  shall  give  the  measure  my 
hearty  support." 

So  spoke  Denio.  I  have  the  speech  of  no  other  member,  and 
did  not,  myself,  hear  the  debate;  but  I  understood,  at  the  time, 
that  it  took  a  wide  range,  covering  the  theory  of  professional 
schools  as  well  as  the  manner  and  means  of  their  establishment  and 
maintainance. 

On  the  eighteenth  day  of  February,  1857,  this  Normal  Univer- 
sity Act  took  its  place  upon  the  statute  book  "as  an  appendix  to  the 
school  law ;  and  on  the  fifth  day  of  October  following,  its  first  class, 
or  part  of  it,  assembled  for  the  first  time.  The  meeting  took  place  in 
the  third  story  of  a  plain  brick  building,  standing  a  little  off  from  the 
principal  street  in  Blooming  ton,  and  known  as  Major's  Hall.  This 
hall  had,  theretofore,  become  historic  as  the  birth  place  of  a  powerful 
political  party  in  the  State;  arid,  more  particulary,  as  the  place  where 
the  grandest  man  of  modern  times  had  delivered  an  oration  in  behalf 
of  liberty.  It  now  became  the  scene  of  another  event,  quite  unlike 
the  former  in  outward  demonstrations,  but  destined,  I  think,  to  be 
remembered  as  long. 

Had  you  been  there  on  that  October  morning,  five  and  twenty 
years  ago,  you  would  have  seen  ten  young  men  and  seventeen  young 
women  grouped  together  on  the  benches,  looking  inquiringly  towards 
Ira  Moore  and  the  principal  sitting  on  the  platform.  That  and  there 
was  the  beginning.  The  names  of  those  young  people,  or  of  some 
of  them-,  head  the  column  of  your  alumni.  The  two  men  on  the 
platform  saw,  or  thought  they  saw,  in  the  faces  before  them  a 
promise  of  coming  honor  to  the  institution.  They  believed  in  its 


192  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

growth,  not  as  a  sudden  creation  of  a  magic  palace,  but  as  the  slow- 
coming  result  of  hard  work  on  a  good  plan.  I  think  I  may  say, 
they,  and  their  associates,  were  much  in  earnest.  They  had  faith. 
Theirs  was  the  glowing  expectancy  with  which  Romulus  and  Remus 
began  to  build,  about  the  shepherds'  huts  upon  the  seven  hills  near 
the  Tiber,  the  walls  which  afterwards  sheltered  imperial  Rome. 

In  the  quarter  of  a  century  of  its  existence,  by  the  silent  pro- 
cesses of  a  natural  evolution,  the  Normal  University  has  grown  to  be 
an  important  radiating  centre  of  educational  thought.  Its  graduates 
have  gone  abroad  over  the  State,  but  loyally  return  from  time  to 
time  to  pay  their  tribute  of  affection  and  esteem.  For  them  and  for 
myself,  I  tender  that  tribute  to-night. 


ADDRESS  OF  RICHARD  EDWARDS,   LL.    I). 

When  men  are  to  be  urged  forward  to  the  achievement  of  some 
high  purpose,  when  the  deeds  under  discussion  are  as  yet  unper- 
formed, he  who  addresses  a  public  assembly  has  need  of  skill  in 
arranging  his  facts,  and  eloquence  in  uttering  them.  At  such  a  time, 
the  purpose  of  the  speaker  is  to  arouse  his  hearers  into  the  right  kind 
of  activity,  to  awaken  within  them  the  required  enthusiasm.  But  this 
is  not  our  task  to-day.  Not  of  the  future,  but  of  the  past,  are  we  to 
speak  on  this  anniversary.  We  need  the  spirit  and  bearing,  not  of 
the  ecstatic  seer,  peering  into  the  hidden  depths  of  the  time  to  come, 
but  of  the  «alm  and  truthful  historian,  reviewing  the  records  of  years 
gone  by.  And  it  is  a  positive  luxury  to  feel  that  for  once  we  are  not 
to  address  ourselves  to  legislators,  from  whom  an  appropriation  is 
expected,  nor  to  a  crowd  ol  indifferent  people  whose  torpid  interest  in 
education,  or  at  least  in  the  Normal  University,  it  is  necessary  to 
kindle  into  life.  Not  that  we  have  cause  to  complain  of  the  way  in 
whicli  the  appeals  of  the  past  have  been  met,  either  by  citizens  or  law- 
makers. Both  have  dealt  generously  with  this  institution  in  the 
quarter  century  which  ends  to-day.  Its  friends  have  been  grandly  true 
to  it,  both  in  Springfield  and  throughout  the  State.  But  there  is  a 
refreshing  sense  of  relief  in  the  thought  that  we  are  discussing  things 
accomplished,  and  not  things  hoped  for.  And  the  aim  of  this  paper 
shall  be  to  present  as  plain  and  impartial  a  statement  as  possible  of 
the  most  significant  facts  in.  the  history  of  the  institution  during  the 
period — nearly  fourteen  years — of  the  writer's  connection  therewith. 

That  connection  began  on  the  seventeenth  day  of  March,  1862, 
when  I  took  the  place  on  the  faculty  which  had  just  been  vacated  by 
Mr.  John  Hull.  My  duty  was  to  hear  the  classes  in  mathematics,  and 
to  give  instruction  in  the  Theory  and  Art  of  Teaching.  At  this  time, 
Mr.  Perkins  Bass,  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education,  was  acting 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  193 

as  temporary  principal.  On  the  twenty-fifth  of  June  in  that  year,  the 
Board,  by  a  unanimous  vote,  elected  me  to  the  principalship  of  the 
institution,  and  my  acceptance  was  sent  in  on  the  next  day.  The  con- 
nection thus  established  was  continued  until  January  1,  18T6. 

It  is  certainly  no  exaggeration  to  say  that,  in  1862,  the  prospects 
of  the  institution  were  gloomy.  In  the  first  place,  it  was  a  time  of 
depression  for  all  schools.  The  chief  occupation  of  the  people  was 
war.  Ambitious  men  and  patriotic  men — those  who  were  seeking 
their  own  profit  and  glory,  and  those  who  were  unselfishly  seeking  the 
good  of  the  country,  were  for  once  engaged  in  the  same  oufward  pur- 
suit. Home  interests  were  for  the  time,  in  a  state  of  suspended 
animation.  Even  business  was  neglected.  The  millions  of  the 
republic  stood  appalled  in  the  presence  of  a  terrible  danger, — a  danger 
the  like  of  which  had  never  before  appeared.  And  the  year  just 
named  will  be  remembered  as  the  very  gloomiest  in  all  that  perilous 
time.  Military  disasters  had  darkened  the  prospect.  Bull  Run  had 
been  the  scene  of  two  desperate  defeats.  Mr.  Seward's  ninety  days 
had  come  and  gone  so  many  times,  that  the  count  of  them  began  to  be 
monotonous,  and  yet  the  rebellion  was  not  crushed.  Instead  of  that, 
it  seemed  mightier  than  at  the  beginning.  Good  reasons  there  seemed 
to  be  for  expecting  that  several  European  governments  would  soon 
acknowledge  the  Confederacy  as  a  nation,  under  such  a  terrible  pres- 
sure, men's  minds  -dwelt  almost  entirely  on  one  subject — the  great 
question  of  preserving  the  nation's  life.  So  that  a  discussion  of  edu- 
cational topics — of  schools  and  the  means  of  sustaining  them — 
seemed  an  impertinence. 

And  in  regard  to  this  institution,  there  were  some  special  reasons 
for  anxiety.  Its  faculty  had  been  broken  up  by  enlistments  into  the 
army.  A  large  number  of  its  students  had  also  entered  the  service.  In 
collecting  the  fragments  that  remained,  and  in  organizing  them  into  an 
effective  school,  the  gentleman  already  named,  Mr.  Bass,  had  exhibited 
great  energy,  and  no  little  skill;  yet  the  minds  of  many  continued  to 
entertain  grave  and  perplexing  doubts.  I  remember  that  some  of  us 
talked  very  pluckily,  but  at  the  same  time,  felt  a  weakness  in  the  knees 
that  was  not  reassuring.  And  perhaps  the  principal  cause  of  solicitude 
remains  yet  to  be  mentioned.  It  was  the  financial  outlook.  Great 
difficulties  had  been  experienced  in  securing  funds  for  the  erection  of 
the  building.  It  is  not  strange  that  in  the  process  debts  should  have 
been  contracted.  The  Board,  in  their  report  dated  December  20, 
1860,  state  their  liabilities  at  $65,000,  and  ask  from  the  Legislature  an 
appropriation  of  that  amount,  for  the  meeting  of  all  obligations.  The 
money  was  voted  with  the  expectation  that  by  the  payment  of  that 
sum  the  institution  would  be  left  free  of  debt.  But  the  result  failed 
to  justify  this  expectation.  Claims  to  the  amount  of  $±2,000*  or 
thereabout,  were  proved  up  against  the  University,  after  the  last 

*f  10,000  of  this  was  afterwards  paid  from  the  sale  of  swamp  lands. 


194  HISTORY   OP   THE    ILLIXOIS 

appropriation  was  entirely  exhausted.  Some  of  these  claims  were 
prosecuted  in  the  courts,  and  judgments  obtained.  The  defence  had 
been  offered  that  the  building  and  fixtures  were  State  property  and 
therefore  not  liable  to  be  taken  on,  execution.  But  the  courts  decided 
otherwise,  and  a  decree  of  mechanic's  lien  was  issued  in  favor  of  one, 
at  least,  of  the  parties,  empowering  him  to  sell  the  building.  Many 
incidents  of  that  trying  time  recur  to  the  mind.  I  remember 
attempting  one  day  to  bespeak  the  forbearance  of  the  party  holding 
the  decree  just  mentioned.  I  strove  to  point  out  to  him  the  great 
harm  that*  would  be  likely  to  follow  if  the  property  should  be  sold,  but 
the  appeal  made  little  impression  upon  him.  He  answered  with  much 
more  of  energy  than  of  politeness  or  reverence  of  sacred  things,  and 
declared  that  he  would  sell  the  entire  concern  at  any  moment,  when- 
ever a  purchaser  could  be  found.  His  only  difficulty  arose  from  the 
fact  that  nobody  wanted  the  elephant.  Another,  not  financially 
interested,  volunteered  the  clieerral  remark  that  he  hoped  soon  to  buy 
the  house  for  a  corn  crib.  Another  still,  the  principal  of  a  private 
school  in  a  county  not  far  distant,  foretold  very  confidently  the 
approaching  collapse  of  the  Normal,  and  showed  how  his  institution 
would  come  in  for  a  share  in  the  estate  of  the  deceased.  This  kind  of 
talk  was  very  common  all  over  the  State.  There  seemed  to  be  a 
confident  expectation,  very  generally  entertained,  that  the  days  of  the 
Normal  were  numbered,  and  that  soon  the  place  that  knew  it  should 
know  it  no  more. 

In  view  of  all  these  discouragements,  we  took  what  still  seems  to 
me  as  the  wisest  course.  It  was  resolved  to  ask  for  no  more  money 
at  the  beginning.  For  the  time  being,  the  current  expenses,  we  knew, 
were  provided  for.  The  debt  was  therefore  left  untouched.  It  was 
resolved  to  concentrate  every  effort  upon  the  work  of  instruction. 
The  adverse  gales  were  blowing,  and  the  waves  were  dashing  upon 
the  good  ship,  and  it  was  thought  the  best  protection  against  the  storm 
would  be  to  make  her  thoroughly  sea-worthy.  I  think  we  may  say 
that  no  labor  was  spared.  Every  man,  and  every  woman,  cheerfully 
did  what  he  could,  and  all  he  could.  Nobody  shirked  a  task.  Nobody 
tried  to  escape  hard  work.  Every  one  made  the  common  cause  his 
own.  In  the  class  rooms  of  the  University,  full  hours  were  put  in. 
But  this  was  not  all.  Opportunities  for  outside  work  were  utilized. 
Instruction  was  given  at  teachers'  institutes.  It  was  solemnly  resolved 
that  whatever  could  be  done  for  the  general  advancement  of  education 
in  Illinois,  should  not  fail  of  being  done,  and  that  thus  the  school 
should  vindicate  its  right  to  be.  In  all  parts  of  the  State,  north,  south, 
and  middle,  the  members  of  the  Normal  faculty  were  to  be  found, 
cheerfully  rendering  such  service  to  the  teachers  of  the  schools  as  they 
could.  Nor  should  it  be  thought  that  this  distant  labor  diminished  the 
efficiency  of  the  teaching  at  home.  The  work  of  classes  was  laid  out 
with  care  for  the  time  of  the  teacher's  absence.  And  as  the  memory 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  195 

rises  before  me,  I  am  strongly  impressed  with  the  belief  that  the 
hours  of  night  were  largely  utilized  for  the  purposes  of  travel.  As  far 
as  possible,  efforts  were  made  to  save  the  precious  daylight  for  teaching. 
Another  instrumentality  was  used  for  extending  the  benefits  of  the 
institution  to  the  teachers  of  the  State.  This  was  the  State  Teachers' 
Institute,  whose  sessions  were  held  in  the  University  building  during 
the  long  summer  vacation.  The  first  session  was  held  in  September, 
1863.  It  was  attended  by  only  fifteen  teachers,  and  continued  for  four 
weeks.  At  the  tenth  annual  meeting  of  the  State  Teachers'  Association, 
held  in  December,  1863,  this  institute  project  at  the  Normal  was  com- 
mended to  the  notice  of  the  teachers.  fWtly  in  consequence  of  this 
encouragement,  another  meeting  was  advertised  for  August,  1864. 
The  number  in  attendance  was  127.  Prominent  educationalists  not 
connected  with  the  Normal,  were  engaged  as  instructors,  but  most  of 
the  work  was  done  by  the  regular  faculty  of  the  University.  In  1867, 
another  session  was  held,  attended  by  255  teachers;  another  in  1868, 
attended  by  248;  another  in  1869,  attended  by  291.  In  1870,  242 
were  present;  in  1871,  215,  and  in  1872,  300.  After  that  year,  the 
meetings  were  devoted  more  exclusively  to  the  study  of  science.  In 
all  these  meetings,  with  perhaps  but  a  single  exception,  the  instrmc- 
tors  labored  voluntarily  and  without  compensation.  The  time  given 
to  this  work  was  the  regular  vacation  allowed  to  members  of  the 
faculty  after  forty  weeks  of  school  work. 

These  labors  were  soon  rewarded  by  very  cheering  indications  of 
progress.  The  number  of  students  at  the  University  rapidly  increased. 
The  public  sentiment  throughout  the  commonwealth  grew  more  and 
more  favorable  to  us.  The  village  of  Normal  began  to  be  settled  up 
with  people  who  valued  education  enough  to  bring  here  their  boys  and 
girls,  and  to  rent  or  purchase  homes  near  the  institution.  In  the  prin- 
cipal's report  of  December  14,  1864,  I  find  the  following:  "At  present, 
we  are  suffering,  for  the  moment,  from  a  circumstance  that  seems  to 
result  from  the  high  esteem  in  which  the  school  is  held  by  the  com- 
munity. So  many  persons  have  come  into  the  neighborhood  to  reside 
in  order  to  secure  the  benefits  of  the  model  school  to  their  children, 
that  real  estate  has  about  trebled  in  value  during  the  last  two  years; 
and  notwithstanding  the  unprecedented  number  of  tenements  recently 
erected,  rooms  for  the  use  of  students  are  as  scarce  as  ever."  I 
remember  that  one  clear,  moonlight  night,  about  this  time,  a  gentle- 
man alighted  from  the  train  at  what  he  had  been  told  was  Normal. 
No  man  was  more  familiar  with  the  place  as  it  had  been  two  or  three 
years  before  than  he,  but  so  great  had  been  the  changes,  so  numerous 
the  added  houses,  that  just  as  the  train  was  moving  out,  he  rushed 
wildly  back  upon  the  platform  of  the  car,  and  consented  to  stop  only 
upon  the  strongest  assurance  from  the  conductor  that  this  was  indeed 
his  old  home.*  Of  course,  it  ought  not  to  be  claimed  that  all  the 

*In  June,  1862,  the  village  contained  about  twelve  houses,  great  and  small. 


196  HISTORY  OP  TUP:  ILLINOIS 

financial  prosperity  that  came  to  the  village  towards  the  close  of  the 
war,  was  due  solely  to  the  success  of  the  school.  Much  of  it  no  doubt 
arose  from  the  general  prosperity  of  the  country.  .But  the  fact  that  so 
much  of  the  general  good  luck  came  to  this  spot,  was  no  doubt  owing 
to  the  energetic  life  which  had  been  developed  within  the  school.  One 
of  the  consequences  of  the  returning  prosperity  was,  that  in  February, 
1865,  the  last  dollar  of  our  debt  was  canceled  by  an  appropriation 
from  the  Legislature.  From  that  day  we  breathed  more  freely.  For 
the  first  time  in  its  history,  the  institution  owned  itself,  and  had  need 
to  ask  the  people  for  nothing  more  than  the  means  of  paying  its  cur- 
rent expenses. 

The  progress  of  the  institution  during  the  period  of  which  we  arc 
speaking  may  be  indicated  by  the  number  of  names  on  the  catalogue 
for  the  successive  years.  These  numbers  in  the  Normal  and  model 
departments,  respectively,  were  as  follows : 

For  the  year  ending  June,  1862,  in  the  Normal,  152;  in  model,  133 
For  the  year  ending  June,  1863,  in  the  Normal,  205;  in  model,  220 
For  the  year  ending  June,  1864,  in  the  Normal,  304;  in  model,  279 
For  the  year  ending  June,  1865,  in  the  Normal,  282;  in  model,  411 
For  the  year  ending  June,  1866,  in  the  Normal,  270;  in  model,  502 
For  the  year  ending  June,  1867,  in  the  Normal,  327;  in  model,  580 
For  the  yiear  ending  June,  1868,  in  the  ^Normal,  413;  in  model,  630 
For  the  year  ending  June,  1869,  in  the  Normal,  462;  in  model,  318 
For  the  year  ending  June,  1870,  in  the  Normal,  429;  in  model,  328 
For  the  year  ending  June,  1871,  in  the  Normal,  464;  in  model,  2.V> 
For  the  year  ending  June,  1872,  in  the  Normal,  460;  in  model,  317 
For  the  year  ending  June,  1873,  in  the  Normal,  437;  in  model,  2!)3 
For  the  year  ending  June,  1874,  in  the  Normal,  450;  in  model,  316 
For  the  year  ending  June,  1875,  in  the  Normal,  467;  in  model,  312 

From  1868  to  1869,  the  table  shows  a  falling  off  in  the  model 
school  from  630  to  318.  This  was  due  to  a  change  in  the  status  of 
that  school.  At  first  it  was  ungraded,  having  for  its  pupils  the  hand- 
ful of  children  resident  in  the  village,  with  a  few  others  from  other 
places.  As  the  number  of  these  residents  increased,  and  as  the  school 
became  better  known,  the  attendance  from  both  sources  was  greatly 
enlarged.  The  public  moneys  belonging  to  the  local  school  district 
were  paid  over  to  the  University  authorities,  and  in  return  the  children 
of  the  district  were  taught  in  the  model  school.  But  by  the  year  1867, 
there  had  been  such  an  enormous  increase  in  the  population  of  the 
town,  that  it  became  impossible  to  continue  the  arrangement.  On  the 
seventeenth  day  of  December,  1867,  the  board  voted  that  at  the  end 
of  the  year,  the  connection  with  the  school  district  should  be  termi- 
nated. By  this  action,  the  attendance  upon  the  model  school  was 
diminished  by  something  more  than  three  hundred. 

I  pass  on  to  note  some  of  the  most  important  results  attained 
during  the  fourteen  years  of  which  we  are  treating;  and  1  mention. 


STATE   NORMAL    rjNIVERSITT.  197 

iiist.  the  development  of  the  model  school.  In  1862  it  had  been  in 
part  reorganized  by  my  predecessor,  Mr.  Bass.  Two  grades  had  been 
established  in  it,  the  high  school  and  the  primary.  At  the  head  of 
the  former  was  Mr.  Charles  F.  Child s,  who  had  been  called  to  that 
position  from  St.  Louis.  The  primary  was  under  the  care  of  Miss 
Livonia  E.  Ketcham.  This  arrangement  continued  until  June,  1803, 
when  both  these  teachers  resigned  their  places.  Mr.  Childs'  place 
was  tilled  by  the  appointment  of  Mr.  William  L.  Pillsbury,  a  then 
recent  graduate  of  Harvard  College.  As  principal  of  the-  primary 
school,  Miss  Marion  Hammond,  of  St.  Louis,  was  appointed  about  the 
same  time.  Soon  after  Mr.  L.  B.  Kellogg  was  employed  as  an  addi- 
tional instructor.  This  last  appointment  was  the  germ  from  which 
sprung,  in  1866,  the  grammar  school  grade.  Until  the  autumn  of  this 
last-named  year,  the  principal  of  the  high  school  had  general  super- 
vis  ion  *of  all  the  grades.  After  that  time  the  grades  were  independent 
of  each  other. 

The  moving  purpose  in  establishing  the  model  school  was  to 
furnish  to  the  Normal  pupils  an  opportunity  for  practice  in  teaching. 
But,  by  the  act  incorporating  the  University,  it  is  required  that  its 
maintenance  shall  not  involve  the  Board  in  any  expense;  that  is,  the 
model  school  must  pay  for  itself.  The  only  way  in  which  that  result 
can  be  accomplished  is  by  collecting  tuition  fees  from  its  pupils.  For 
some  years  it  had  been  somewhat  freely  charged  that  the  teaching 
imparted  in  it  was  of  a  poor  quality.  Mere  pupil-teachers,  so  it  was 
argued,  could  not,  in  reason,  be  expected  to  do  as  thorough  work  as 
well-qualified,  regularly-employed,  instructors.  The  natural  effect  of 
that  objection  would  be  to  discourage  parents  from  patronizing  the 
school.  As  the  readiest  way  of  breaking  its  force,  a  number  of 
gentlemen  from  Bloomington  and  elsewhere — persons  well  qualified 
for  the  work — were  invited  to  give  the  school  a  thorough  examina- 
tion, and  to  report  upon  its  condition  and  the  character  of  its  teaching. 
Two  days  were  spent  in  the  rooms,  listening  to  the  work,  and  a  report 
was  made,  which  effectually  turned  the  edge. of  all  that  criticism. 

One  principal  object  aimed  at  in  the  management  of  the  model 
school  during  these  years,  was  the  thorough  fitting  of  boys  for  tl it- 
best  colleges  of  the  country.  This,  it  was  thought,  would  help  to  give 
character  to  the  institution  in  all  its  grades.  A  high  reputation  for 
sound  scholarship,  it  was  believed,  would  induce  students  to  come,  and 
would  help  to  maintain  good  order  among  them  after  they  were 
assembled.  It  was  with  this  idea  that  the  services  of  Mr.  Pillsbury 
were  secured.  By  some  of  the  members  of  the  Board  it  was  thought 
that  a  man  of  stouter  muscle  than  the  pale  student  which  he  appeared 
to  be,  was  required  for  the  exigencies  of  the  situation.  They  feared 
that  the  stalwart  boys  of  rough  exterior  and  boisterous  ways  would 
prove  too  much  for  him, — that  his  authority  would  be  despised  and  his 
influence  neutralized.  But  the  result  was  quite  the  reverse  of  all  this. 


198  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

Closely  connected  with  tlie  model  school  is  the  training  depart- 
ment. This  has  grown  from  very  imperfect  beginnings.  Originally 
the  pupil-teachers  had  very  little  supervision.  The  principal  of  the 
University  was  almost  as  much  occupied  in  teaching  as  any  of  the 
other  instructors.  The  principal  of  the  high  school  had  fully  one 
man's  work  in  the  higher  classes  under  his  care.  The  regular 
instructors  in  the  other  grades  were  equally  laden  with  duties. 
Systematic  and  efficient  oversight  of  the  fifty  or  sixty  persons 
entrusted,  with  classes  in  the  three  grades  was  a  thing  almost  impos- 
sible to  bring  about.  At  first,  the  attempt  was  made  by  the  principal 
of  the  University.  Certain  hours  in  the  day  were  devoted  to  this 
work.  As  far  as  possible,  the  recitations  were  so  arranged  that  his 
vafcant  hours  came  when  the  largest  number  of  young  people  were 
engaged  in  teaching.  Meetings  of  the  pupil-teachers  were  appointed 
for  the  afternoon,  after  school  hours.  A  record  was  kept  t>f  the 
classes  and  their  work.  Besides  this  record,  each  pupil-teacher  was 
required  to  keep  a  diary,  giving  an  account  of  every  recitation,  setting 
forth  its  subject-matter,  the  method  employed  in  conducting  it,  the 
difficulties  experienced,  and  the  successes  and  failures  encountered. 
In  my  report  for  December,  1873,  I  find  a  somewhat  complete 
statement  of  the  course  pursued  at  that  time  and  previously,  in  the 
matter  of  training  the  young  teachers.  But  the  great  need  of  some- 
thing better  had  been  recognized.  I  had  been  all  along  convinced 
that  this  work  required  the  full  time  and  energy  of  one  well  qualified 
person.  This  idea  had  been  repeatedly  presented  to  the  Board,  but 
could  not  be  carried  out  on  account  of  the  expense.  At  length,  by  the 
appropriation  of  1874,  the  means  seemed  to  be  furnished.  In  June  of 
that  year,  Prof.  Thomas  Metcalf  was  taken  from  the  chair  of  mathe- 
matics, and  installed  in  the  newly-established  department  of  practical 
didactics,  or  training.  It  was  preeminently  the  right  thing  to  do,  both 
as  to  the  proposed  service,  and  the  man  to  perform  it. 

The  methods  of  professional  instruction  which  prevailed  during 
this  period  were  introduced  in  the  spring  of  1862.  The  members  of 
the  class  which  had  reached  its  third  term  in  school,  listened  to  a 
course  of  conversational  lectures  upon  the  Theory  and  Practice  of 
Teaching,  which  they  were  required  afterwards  to  reproduce,  with  such 
additions  and  variations  as  they  wished  to  insert.  These  papers  were 
examined  by  the  instructor,  corrected,  and  returned  to  the  writers. 
At  a  later  point  in  the  course,  several  weeks  were  given  to  the  history 
of  education,  and  the  biography  of  eminent  educators.  Besides  this 
there  were  lectures  upon  the  philosophy  of  education.  About  the 
year  1873,  these  lectures  were  discontinued,  and  in  their  place,  that 
charming  and  lucid  treatise,  which  has  so  won  the  hearts  of  the  young 
people,  Rosenkranz's  Pedagogics,  was  substituted.  This  book,  I 
understand,  is  still  used,  the  authorities  doubtless  fearing  that  an 
attempt  to  put  it  out  would  provoke  a  rebellion. 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  199 

In  June,  1869,  the  Board  adopted  the  plan  of  issuing  certificates 
to  such  students  as  had  completed  the  work  of  one  or  two  years.  This 
action  was  taken  on  account  of  the  fact  that  a  large  number  of  the 
students  were  employed  as  teachers  in  the  public  schools  before  com- 
pleting the  entire  course  and  securing  diplomas.  These  teachers, 
claiming  to  represent  the  University,  had  nothing  to  show  in  con- 
firmation of  their  claims.  One  consequence  was  that  the  community 
had  no  way  of  discriminating  between  the  worthy  and  the  unworthy, 
or  between  him  who  had  mastered  many  studies  and  him  who  had 
mastered  only  a  few.  Each  .of  the  certificates  contained  an  exact 
statement  of  the  amount  of  work  satisfactorily  done  by  the  holder. 

Another  department  that  has  been  developed  and  established  upon 
a  permanent  basis  during  these  years,  is  the  museum,  with  its  connected 
scientific  work.  In  1862,  there  was  a  very  fine  collection  of  specimens, 
considering  the  time  it  had  taken,  but  it  was  owned  by  a  private 
association — the  Illinois  Natural  History  Society.  By  their  action  as 
a  corporation,  all  its  work  was  done,  and  all  its  officers  elected.  At 
that  time,  the  office  of  curator  was  filled  by  Prof.  C.  D.  Wilber,  who, 
we  must  not  forget,  had  rendered  very  valuable  service  in  making  the 
collection.  But  it  seemed  desirable  to  unite  this  important  interest 
under  the  same  control  as  the  school.  In  the  year  1867,  an  appropri- 
ation of  $1,500  a  year  was  made  by  the  Legislature  for  the  salary  of  a 
curator,  and  $1,000  a  year  for  additions  to  the  museum.  Prof.  John 
W.  Powell  was  elected  by  the  Board  of  Education  to  the  office  of 
curator,  and  the  election  was  ratified  by  the  Natural  History  Society. 
This  was  the  revival  of  an  interest  which  had  slept  since  the  retire- 
ment of  Prof.  Wilber,  in  1862,  or  thereabout.  Prof.  Powell  shed 
luster  upon  the  institution  by  his  Rocky  Mountain  expeditions,  and 
continued  his  connection  with  the  museum  until  June,  1872,  when  the 
present  faithful  and  efficient  curator,  Prof.  S.  A.  Forbes,  was  elected. 
The  divided  jurisdiction  which  had  hitherto  obtained  in  this  depart- 
ment, came  to  an  end  in  June,  1871,  when  the  Natural  History 
Sock-ty  made  over  its  rights  in  the  premises  to  the  Board  of  Education. 
Thus  all  the  interests  within  this  building  were  placed  under  one  man- 
agement, and  the  purposes  thereof  were  harmonized  and  unified. 
The  development  of  this  important  department  of  the  institution  would 
of  itself  present  an  interesting  history,  and  it  is  a  history  that  ought  to . 
be  preserved  as  a  part  of  the  permanent  records,  but  in  this  sketch  it 
is  not  possible  to  present  it  in  full.  The  proper  person  for  that  duty 
is  the  curator  himself,  who  is  familiar  with  all  the  steps,  and  able  to 
set  them  forth  in  their  true  order. 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  fact  that  the  courts  had 
decided  that  the  Normal  University  was  a  private  institution,  belong- 
ing to  the  Board  of  Education  as  a  corporation.  The  appropriations 
of  money  made  to  it  seemed  to  be  regarded  merely  as  grants  or  gifts. 
The  State  was  held  not  to  be  liable  for  the  Board's  debts.  The 


200  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

property  was  not  shielded  from  the  demands  of  creditors  by  the 
sovereignty  of  the  State.  In  some  respects  this  was  a  disadvantage. 
Not,  of  coarse,  in  that  it  compelled  the  University  to  pay  its  debts. 
This,  to  an  individual  or  a  corporation,  is  not  a  drawback  but  a 
benefit.  But  it  was  an  injury  to  the  school  to  be  thus  shut  out  from 
the  popular  sympathy,  to  be  severed  from  the  great  system  of  educa- 
tion for  which  the  State  feels  a  responsibility,  and  for  whose  wants, 
therefore,  the  Legislature  is  under  some  sort  of  obligation  to  provide. 
To  remedy  these  evils,  the  first  section  of  the  act  of  February  28, 
1867,  ordains  that  "The  State  Normal  University,  established  by  an 
act  approved  February  18,  1857,  is  hereby  declared  a  State  institution, 
and  the  property,  personal,  real,  and  mixed,  in  the  hands,  and  stand- 
ing in  the  name  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  is 
the  property  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  is  by  said  Board  held  in 
trust  for  the  State."  Since  the  passage  of  that  act,  the  Normal,  with 
all  its  appurtenances,  has  been  as  much  the  property  of  the  common- 
wealth as  the  State  House  or  the  great  seal. 

From  the  time  of  its  establishment,  the  institution  had  received  as 
an  annual  appropriation  from  the  State,  twenty-three  twenty-fourths  of 
the  interest  on  a  certain  fund,  called  the  college  and  seminary  fund. 
The  principal  of  that  fund  consisted  of  the  proceeds,  in  part,  of  the 
sale  of  certain  lands,  given  to  the  State  by  Congress,  in  the  act  admit- 
ting it  into  the  Union.  The  revenue  from  this  source  amounts  to 
$12,444.99  per  annum.  As  our  operations — the  number  of  students 
and  teachers — increased  from  year  to  year,  it  was  reasonable  that  the 
expenses  should  also  increase.  This  was,  after  some  delay,  recognized 
by  the  Legislature.  In  the  appropriation  bill,  approved  March  10, 
1869,  an  addition  of  $9,000  per  annum  was  made  to  our  ordinary 
revenue  for  the  next  two  years.  Another  appeal  we  were  constrained 
to  make  to  the  Legislature,  on  account  of  the  fact  that  in  early  years 
our  appropriations  had  fallen  behind  in  point  of  time,  to  the  extent 
of  some  months.  That  is,  every  installment  of  money  voted  to  us  was 
used  in  part  retrospectively.  This  irregularity  was  not  corrected  until 
1873,  when  an  appropriation  of  $6,915  was  made  to  bring  up  the 
arrears. 

It  is  said  that  when  Dr.  Johnson  was  reminded  of  the  fact  that 
the  trees  in  Windsor  Park  were  growing  rapidly,  lie  answered  in  his 
blunt  way  that  they  had  nothing  else  to  do,  and  therefore  ought  to 
grow.  The  same  might  be  said  of  the  beautiful  grove  now  surround- 
ing this  building.  But  we  can  remember  the  time  when  there  were  no 
trees  here,  with  the  duty  of  growing  incumbent  upon  them ;  and  the 
converting  of  the  bare  prairie  into  such  a  noble  forest  as  the  eye  rests 
upon  here  to-day  was  no  slight  undertaking.  It  involved  a  consider- 
able expenditure  of  money.  In  1867,  $3,000  was  appropriated  to 
this  purpose.  Mr.  Jesse  \V.  Fell  was  appointed  to  superintend  the 
work.  It  was  done  with  his  accustomed  energy  and  skill.  The  winds 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  201 

were  mighty  and  the  situation  was  exposed.  Many  of  the  trees  had 
to  be  reset ;  some  of  them  more  than  once.  I  remember  that  this  was 
true  especially  of  the  row  of  tulip-poplars  just  in  front  of  the  building. 
But  Mr.  Fell's  intense  love  of  trees  carried  him  successfully  through 
all  the  trials,  and  after  a  labor  running  through  four  years,  he  made 
his  linal  report  in  1871.  It  ought  not,  however,  be  thought  that  noth- 
ing had  previously  been  done  in  the  way  of  ornamenting  the  grounds. 
The  line  of  trees  along  the  margin  of  the  enclosure  were  growing 
before  my  coining  here.  There  was  also  a  nursery  of  young  ever- 
greens which  were  utilized  in  the  final  planting. 

The  heating  apparatus,  as  it  was  originally  put  in  by  Walworth, 
Hubbard  &  Company,  was  accepted  by  the  Board  in  June,  1863,  and 
was  thought  to  be  sufficient  for  the  wants  of  the  school.  But  as  the 
number  of  students  increased,  and  all  parts  of  the  building  came  to  be 
continually  used,  two  serious  defects  began  to  appear.  First,  the  heat- 
ing power  of  the  apparatus  was  found  to  be  insufficient,  and  secondly, 
the  ventilation  turned  out  to  be  worth  very  little.  In  the  coldest 
weather  it  was  found  impossible  to  raise  the  temperature  above  fifty 
degrees  Fahrenheit,  and  the  condition  of  the  air,  when  the  windows 
could  not  be  opened,  became  at  last  absolutely  unendurable.  Efforts 
were  made  to  secure  an  appropriation  for  a  new  apparatus.  It  appears 
that  in  1871,  the  sum  of  $4, 000  was  voted  to  us;  but  this  was  found 
utterly  inadequate.  This  fact  was  made  plain  by  a  thorough  canvass- 
ing of  the  whole  subject.  Another  appeal  was  made  to  the  Legisla- 
ture of  1873,  asking  for  an  additional  sum ;  but  the  request  was  not- 
acceded  to.  In  the  emergency,  the  Board  resolved  to  save  the  needed 
sum  by  curtailing  other  expenditures.  This  was  done,  and  in  the  l<uig 
vacation  of  that  year  a  new  boiler  was  put  into  the  basement,  and  the 
present  machinery  for  ventilation  put  up,  at  a  cost  of  $8,500. 

Among  the  lesser  changes  which  took  place  may  be  mentioned 
this,  that  in  June,  1866,  it  was  ordered  by  the  Board  that  the  principal 
of  the  formal  University  be  hereafter  officially  known  and  called 
"president,"  and  that  the  principal  male  teachers  thereof  be  known  as 
"•professors."  This  was  an  accession  of  honor  which  had  not  been 
sought  by  the  instructors,  and  I  am  not  certain  that  they  have  all 
learned  to  appropriate  it  as  yet.  But  the  change  was  introduced  into 
the  catalogue  from  that  time  forth. 

At  all  times  since  the  school  first  went  into  operation,  there  has 
been  criticism  upon  it  and  its  work.  It  has  often  been  charged  that 
the  graduates  and  pupils  have  done  no  appreciable  amount  of 
teaching,  and  that  what  they  have  done  has  been  of  an  inferior 
quality.  As  early  as  Isiji;.  statements  to  this  effect  had  been  some- 
what industriously  circulated  in  different  parts  of  the  State.  In  order 
to  meet  them,  it  was  thought  best  to  issue  circulars  of  inquiry  to  the 
most  prominent  educators  in  Illinois,  respectfully  asking  answers  to 
the  following  four  questions: 


202  HISTORY    <»F    THE    ILLINOIS 

1.  Have  any  of  the  graduates  or  pupils  of  this  institution  been 
employed  as  teachers  in  the  schools  of  your  vicinity  ( 

2.  What  degree  of  success  has  attended  their  labors  in  teaching 
and  governing? 

3.  In  what  repute  is  the  University  held  by  the  people  in  your 
portion  of  the  State? 

4.  According  to  your  best  judgment,  is  the  University  a  benefit 
to  the  State,  and  is  the  outlay  of  money  required  to   support   it   a 
judicious  and  profitable  expenditure? 

To  this  circular,  thirty-eight  answers  were  received,  all  of  which, 
with  the  names  of  the  writers,  were  published  in  full  in  the  biennial 
report  of  the  State  Superintendent,  and  also  in  a  separate  pamphlet. 
Of  these  answers,  Hon.  Newton  Bateman,  in  the  report  already 
referred  to,  says  that  they  contain  "a  mass  of  testimony  in  relation  'to 
the  standing  and  success  of  the  graduates  as  teachers,  which  must  be 
regarded  as  in  the  highest  degree  gratifying  to  the  friends  of  the 
University,  and  a  satisfactory  proof  that  it  is  achieving  the  ends  for 
which  it  was  established.  *  *  They  (the  letters)  are  from  every 
portion  of  the  State,  and  reflect  the  unbiased  opinions  of  their  various 
writers,  founded  upon  personal  knowledge  and  observation.  With  a 
unanimity  and  emphasis  that  is  certainly  remarkable,  they  affirm  the 
superior  ability,  skill,  enthusiasm,  and  success,  of  the  graduates  of  the 
Normal  University."  These  answers,  thus  warmly  endorsed  by  the 
State  Superintendent,  were  very  helpful  in  maintaining  and  extending 
the  reputation  of  the  institution.  Other  inquiries  of  similar  character 
have  been  since  addressed  to  educational  officials  and  others,  with  a 
view  of  exhibiting  the  amount  of  good  which  the  school  is  doing.  By 
a  resolution  passed  by  the  House  of  Representatives,  February  18, 
1873,  the  State  Superintendent  was  directed  to  obtain  from  the  county 
superintendents  the  names  of  the  graduates  and  pupils  of  the  Normal 
University  teaching  in  the  different  counties.  By  the  returns  made  to 
this  inquiry,  it  appeared  that  one  hundred  and  twenty  graduates,  and 
three  hundred  and  eighty-nine  other  pupils,  were  thus  employed. 
They  were  teaching  in  eighty-six  different  counties.  But  it  was  easy 
to  show  that  these  numbers  were  far  below  the  truth.  This  subject 
will  be  found  discussed  with  some  thoroughness  in  my  reports  to  the 
Board  of  Education,  presented  in  June  and  December,  1873. 

The  first  specific  appropriation  for  a  reference  library  was  made  in 
December,  1862.  The  sum  of  $500  was  voted  at  the  beginning,  and 
it  was  provided  that  $200  a  year  should  be  used  in  replenishing  and 
enlarging  it.  Large  purchases  of  books  had  been  made  before  this, 
but  they  were  chiefly  of  text-books  for  the  use  of  individual  students, 
to  whom  they  were  loaned.  In  this  way,  every  student  was  furnished 
with  every  book  that  he  needed  to  use  in  preparing  his  daily 
recitations.  But  this  practice  was  found  to  be,  in  many  respects,  bad. 
In  the  early  stages  of  the  institution,  when  the  attendance  was  small, 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  203 

this  policy  may  have  seemed  wise;  but  when  the  numbers  were  greatly 
increased,  the  conditions  were  entirely  changed,  and  the  supplying  of 
the  students  with  all  their  books  became  an  intolerable  nuisance, 
entailing  upon  the  institution  an  immense  expense,  and  causing  the 
teachers  vast  labor  and  trouble.  But  the  abolition  of  the  practice  was 
gradual.  As  a  general  rule,  books  continued  to  be  loaned  until  they 
were  worn  out. 

In  the  war  for  the  union  of  the  States,  the  University  bore  an 
honorable  part.  The  first  principal  became  the  colonel  of  the  famous 
Thirty-third  Regiment  of  Illinois  Volunteers^  and  was  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  brigadier-general.  Many  of  the  students  had  also  entered 
the  service.  In  all  this  there  was  a  fitness.  Institutions  of  learning 
are  the  natural  homes  of  patriotism,  as  well  as  of  other  generous 
sentiments.  Young  men  in  pursuit  of  knowledge  have  always  been 
distinguished  by  their  sensitiveness  to  these  higher  appeals.  In  the 
report  for  December,  1866,  I  find  the  following  statements: 

Of  the  teachers  and  pupils  of  the  University  who  entered  the 
army,  there  were,  as  far  as  known,  commissioned  officers,  thirty- 
four;  non-commissioned  officers,  forty-two;  privates,  eighty-nine; 
rank  unknown,  ten ;  rank  and  regiment  unknown,  thirty-six ;  total, 
211.  The  report  closes  with  the  hope  that  in  the  future  a  more  com- 
plete list  may  be  made  out.  Whether  this  has  been  done,  I  am  not 
able  to  say.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  history  of  these  enlist- 
ments belongs  mostly,  though  not  entirely,  to  the  period  preceding 
that  of  which  we  are  now  speaking.  I  remember  that  in  the  spring 
of  1862,  the  city  of  Springfield  was  thought  to  be  in  danger  of  an 
attack  from  the  confederates.  The  rumor  had  been  circulated  in 
Bloomington  and  was  quickly  brought  to  Normal.  The  commotion 
was  intense.  A  meeting  was  held  in  the  northwest  recitation  room, 
and  it  was  resolved  to  meet  the  foe  in  a  manner  worthy  of  American 
citizens.  Farewells  were  impressively  spoken,  and  I  am  sure  that 
some  tears  were  shed,  but  the  whole  turned  out  to  be  a  false  alarm, 
and  the  next  day  witnessed  the  return  of  the  fiery  youths  to  the  dull 
routine  of  ordinary  school  duties.  They  had  shown  their  willingness 
to  serve  their  country,  but  their  services  were  not  then  required. 
Many  other  events  might  be  detailed,  but  it  does  not  seem  wise  to 
take  the  time  for  them.  A  few  may,  perhaps,  be  simply  mentioned 
without  expansion  or  comment.  For  several  years,  the  president  of 
the  University  had  no  responsibility  for  the  keeping  of  account  books, 
or  the  disbursement  of  money,  except  a  small  amount  known  as  the 
contingent  fund.  In  1869,  a  new  set  of  books  was  opened,  and  in 
December  of  that  year,  the  president  was  put  in  charge  of  them,  and 
required  to  countersign  all  orders  upon  the  treasurer.  In  June,  1873, 
the  blanks,  pay-rolls,  and  duplicates  were  adopted,  which,  I  suppose, 
are  still  in  use. 

Several   attempts  were   made   to   allow   the   Bloomington   and 


20-i  HISTOKY    (>F    THE    ILLINOIS 

Normal  horse  railway  to  pass  through  the  grounds,  but  the  per- 
mission was  not  given  until  December  18,  1867.  Even  then,  some 
of  the  members  of  the  Board  were  doubtful  of  the  wisdom  of  the 
measure. 

Of  the  men  and  women  who  have  been  employed  as  teachers  in 
the  institution,  I  can  give  only  a  bare  list  of  names.  In  the  Normal 
Department,  during  my  incumbency,  there  have  been  (naming  them 
in  the  order  of  their  appointment)  Edwin  C.  Hewett,  Joseph  A. 
Sewall,  Margaret  E.  Osband,  Thomas  Metcalf,  Albert  Stetson,  Fannie 
L.  D.  Strong,  Emmelihe  Dryer,  Martha  D.  L.  Haynie,  John  W. 
Powell,  John  W.  Cook,  Letitia  Mason,  Henry  McCormick.  Myra 
A.  Osband,  Rosalie  Miller,  Harriet  M.  Case,  Stephen  A.  Forbes, 
Bandusia  Wakefield. 

As  principals  of  the  high  school,  there  were  Charles  F.  Childs, 
William  L.  Pillsbury,  Mary  E.  llorton,  Eliab  W.  Coy,  Lester 
L.  Burrington.  Assistants  in  the  high  school,  Lyman  B.  Kellogir, 
( )sear  F.  McKim,  Melancthon  Waken'eld,  Bandusia  Wakefield,  Thomas 
J.  Burrill,  John  H.  Thompson,  Ruthie  E.  Barker,  John  R.  Edwards, 
Martha  D.  L.  Haynie. 

Principals  of  the  grammar  school,  E.  P.  Burlingliam,  John 
W.  Cook,  Joseph  Carter,  Benjamin  "W.  Baker.  Assistants  in  the 
grammar  school,  Mary  Pennell,  Lyman  Hutchinson,  "W.  S.  Mills. 

Principals  of  the  intermediate  school,  Olive  A.  Rider,  Martha 
Foster.  Principals  of  the  primary  school,  Livonia  E.  Ivetcham, 
Marion  Hammond,  Edith  T.  Johnson,  Lucia  Kingslev,  Martha  K. 
Hughes,  Gertrude  K.  Case,  Jane  P.  Carter. 

The  members  of  the  Board  of  Education  during  this  period  were 
Samuel  W.  Moulton,  John  P.  Brooks,  Perkins  Bass,  Newton  Bate- 
man,  Walter  M.  Hatch,  William  II.  Powell,  George  P.  Rex,  J.  W. 
Schweppe,  Henry  Wing,  William  II.  Wells,  Simeon  Wright,  Thomas 
J.  Pickett,  J.  W.  Shehan,  William  H.  Green,  Calvin  Goudy,  Joseph 
Medill,  John  H.  Foster,  Walter  L.  Mayo,  Charles  P.  Taggart,  Benajah 
G.  Roots,  Thomas  J.  Turner,  Kersey  H.  Fell,  Thomas  R.  Leal,  Jesse 
II.  Moore,  Elias  C.  Dupuy,  Jesse  W.  Fell,  Nicholas  E.  Worthington. 
W  infield  S.  Coy,  George  C.  Clarke,  Enoch  A.  Gastman,  Charles 
F.  Noetling,  Edward  L.  Wells,  Joseph  Carter,  Samuel  M.  Etter,  J. 
C.  Knickerbocker,  H.  Harrison  Hill,  Richard  S.  Canby.  The 
treasurer  was  Charles  W.  Holder  during  all  my  connection  with  the 
institution.  The  janitors  were  Frank  Nolle,  and  our  good,  honest, 
efficient  friend,  Peter  Ketelson. 

One  of  the  most  noticeable  facts  connected  with  the  history  of  the 
Normal  has  been  the  permanency  of  its  officers  and  teachers.  While 
the  controlling  boards  of  other  State  institutions  have  been  repeatedly 
legislated  out  of  office,  and  other  bodies  created  to  succeed  them,  the 
Board  governing  this  school  has  never  been  disturbed,  but  has  gone 
on  in  the  even  tenor  of  its  way.  And  in  its  very  membership  there 


STATK    NORMAL   UNIVERSITY. 

has  been  unusual  continuity.  Hon.  Samuel  W.  Moulton  was  president 
of  the  Board  from  July,  1859,  to  June,  1877,  with  a  short  interreg- 
num. Hon.  "W.  H.  Green  has  been  a  member  since  about  1860. 
Dr.  Calvin  Gowdy  was  for  many  years  a  most  faithful  and  efficient 
member,  and  the  present  president,  Mr.  Hoots,  has  been  for  manv 
years  a  most  useful  helper.  Indeed,  he  was  so  before  his  appointment 
on  the  Board. 

The  transcribing  of  these  lists,  both  of  teachers  and  of  members 
of  the  Board,  has  awakened  a  flood  of  precious  memories.  On  the 
part  of  the  instructors,  I  recall  unflagging  industry  and  faithfulness, 
and  an  ennobling  faith  in  high  ideals.  Their  work  and  their  spirit 
have  gone  into  the  very  bone  and  sinew  of  this  great  school,  and 
have  made  it  the  grand  thing  it  is  to-day.  All  over  this  honored 
commonwealth,  their  influence  is  felt.  They  have  been  permitted 
to  lay  their  hands,  in  a  most  effective  way,  upon  the  forces  which 
affect  its  destiny.  The  Illinois  of  the  future  will  be  a  different  and  a 
nobler  entity,  by  reason  of  what  these  teachers  have  done  for  it. 

And  of  the  gentlemen,  who,  without  fee  or  reward,  have  given  of 
their  time  and  their  thought  and  influence,  to  build  up  here  a  power 
for  the  mental  improvement  of  these  mighty  communities,  to  open 
here  a  fountain  whose  streams  have  helped  to  cover  the  land  with  the 
beauty  and  fruitful  ness  of  culture,  what  shall  be  said?  Nobly  have 
they  wrought.  They  have  labored  for  permanent  and  not  temporary 
ends.  If  this  building  should  to-day  be  consumed  in  the  flames,  if 
the  voice  of  instruction  should  be  here  forever  hushed,  their  labor 
would  not  be  in  vain.  Like  good  seed,  the  influence  here  planted 
would  continue  through  the  ages  to  reproduce  itself,  to  the  nourishing 
of  mind  and  heart.  And  if  this  were  a  tit  place  for  the  expression 
of  personal  feelings,  I  might  long  engage  you  in  listening  to  my 
grateful  recital  of  the  generous  support  and  encouragement  which  I 
received  from  their  hands. 

Nor  must  I  forget  to  say  a  word  concerning  the  members  of  the 
Legislature,  with  whom  I  have  had  so  much  to  do.  I  wish  to  say 
that  my  recollection  of  them  is  most  pleasant.  Many  favors,  many 
courtesies,  have  I  received  at  their  hands.  On  the  whole,  they  gave 
us  a  liberal  support,  and  I  gladly  express  to  them  my  thanks  on 
this  occasion,  the  last,  perhaps,  in  which  I  shall  ever  publicly  speak 
of  the  subject. 

And  the  graduates  and  pupils  of  this  school,  how  well  they  have 
carried  out  its  spirit!  How  effectively  have  they  recommended  it  to 
the  good  will  of  the  citizens  of  Illinois!  In  a  very  important  sense, 
they  have  made  the  Normal  a  success.  Upon  the  flood  of  their  suc- 
cessful teaching,  the  good  ship  has  thus  far  floated,  and  weathered  all 
the  gales,  and  thus  it  must  always  be.  The  teachers  may  be  faithful, 
the  Board  may  be  wise,  and  the  Legislature  may  be  generous,  but 
all  will  go  for  nothing  unless  the  out-going  students  are  efficient  in 


206  HISTORY   OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

meeting  their  responsibility.  Every  friend  of  the  Normal  ought  to 
be  proud  of  the  good  service  rendered  by  the  boys  and  girls  who 
have  migrated  from  its  halls  into  the  school  houses  of  the  land. 

As  a  general  indication  of  the  progress  made  by  the  school 
during  the  period  which  we  have  been  considering,  allow  me  to  quote 
a  paragraph  from  the  president's  report  of  December  15,  1875:  "The 
progress  of  the  institution  for  the  last  fourteen  years  may  be  shown 
b}7  several  facts.  For  the  school  year  1861-2,  the  number  of  pupils 
catalogued  in  the  Normal  School  was  152.  The  number  for  187-4—5, 
was  467;  a  gain  of  207  per  cent.  The  number  catalogued  in  the 
entire  institution  during  the  former  year,  was  285;  during  the  latter 
year  it  was  779;  a  gain  of  171  per  cent.  The  amount  annually  appro- 
priated by  the  Legislature  at  that  time  was  $12,445-99.  For  the 
current  period  it  is  $27,200;  a  gain  of  more  than  118  per  cent.  The 
income  from  the  model  school  at  that  time  cannot  be  determined  from 
documents  within  my  reach,  but  for  the  year  1862-3,  it  was  $1,778.20. 
Last  year  it  was  $4,488.04;  a  gain  of  152  per  cent.  It  will  be  seen 
that  the  gain  from  appropriations,  large  as  that  is,  falls  far  below  the 
gains  in  the  number  of  pupils,  or  in  the  income  from  the  model 
school.  There  has  also  been  vast  progress  in  respect  to  the  number 
of  our  pupils  found  teaching  and  superintending,  especially  in  posi- 
tions of  importance.  The  total  number  known  to  be  teaching  last 
year  (1875)  was  777.  Of  those  employed  in  Illinois,  ten  were 
county  superintendents,  two  were  instructors  in  the  Southern  Nor- 
mal University,  two  were  professors  in  the  Industrial  University, 
one  was  a  teacher  in  the  Peoria  County  Normal  School,  and  two 
were  meinbers  of  this  Board  (State  Board  of  Education).  Besides 
these,  there  were  many  superintendents  and  principals  of  high 
schools.  Of  those  in  other  States,  there  were  two  county  superin- 
tendents in  Iowa,  four  principals  of  schools  in  St.  Louis,  one  of  them 
a  branch  high  school,  and  the  others  large  grammar  schools;  one 
principal  of  the  city  high  school  in  Hannibal,  Missouri;  one  teacher 
in  the  State  Normal  School  in  Castine,  Maine;  one  city  superin- 
tendent in  Denver,  Colorado;  one  principal  in  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin; 
one  high  school  principal  in  Warsaw,  New  York;  two  professors  in 
the  State  Normal  School  in  Terre  Haute,  Indiana ;  one  professor  in 
the  State  Normal  School,  San  Jose,  California;  two  professors  in 
the  State  University,  in  Fayetteville,  Arkansas;  one  professor  in 
the  State  Normal  School,  in  Cape  Girardeau,  Missouri;  one  city 
superintendent  in  Little  Rock,  Arkansas." 

The  paper  just  read  in  your  hearing  refers  exclusively  to  the 
period  of  my  own  connection  with  the  institution.  It  has  been  so 
limited  by  the  suggestion  of  the  committee  of  arrangements  for  this 
day.  But  I  believe  that  on  all  proper  occasions  I  have  been  prompt 
to  express  my  appreciation  of  the  work  done  by  my  predecessors  in 
office,  and  I  think  I  may  claim  to  have  missed  no  opportunity  of 


STATE    NO  UMAX    UNIVERSITY. 


saying  a  good  word  for  the  school  since  leaving  it.  And  perhaps  I 
can  not  close  this  long  paper  in  any  better  way  than  by  a  reiteration, 
in  one  word,  of  these  sentiments,  and  by  professing  anew  my 
personal  loyalty  to  the  Normal  University,  past,  present,  and  future. 
May  its  power  increase,  and  its  friends  be  daily  multiplied. 


ADDKESS    OF   EDWIN    C.   HEWETT,  LL.  D. 

Twenty-five  years  ago  this  summer,  I  made  a  journey  to  Illinois 
on  a  somewhat  important  errand.  One  year  before  I  had  made  my 
first  visit  to  this  State;  I  came  on  what  was  not  altogether  a  ''voy- 
age of  discovery,"  but  it  was  something  like  one.  At  any  rate,  my 
first  visit  gave  occasion  for  the  second,  1857,  from  which  I  returned 
to  New  England  accompanied  by  a  young  woman.  We  had  formed 
a  kind  of  copartnership,  which  still  continues.  During  this  visit  I 
heard  considerable  talk  about  the  new,  Normal  School,  which  was 
about  to  go  into  operation.  I  had  no  suspicion,  however,  at  that 
time,  that  the  establishment  of  this  State  Normal  School  was  a  fact 
of  any  special  significance  to  me,  personally;  my  home  was  in  New 
England ;  it  had  always  been  there,  and  I  had  no  thought  or  expecta- 
tion that  it  might  not  always  remain  there. 

Another  year  passed  away,  and  through  the  kind  offices  of 
friends,  I  had  been  spoken  of  to  President  Hovey,  as  a  proper  person 
to  fill  a  place  in  the  faculty  of  the  new  institution,  then  entering 
upon  its  second  year.  After  some  correspondence,  extending  over  a 
period  of  a  few  weeks,  I  received  a  formal  offer  of  the  position.  The 
salary,  $1,200  per  annum,  did  not  promise  an  increase  sufficient  to 
tempt  me  much;  but  I  had  had  some  experience  in  the  Normal 
School  work,  and  decidedly  preferred  it  to  the  work  of  a  grammar 
school,  in  which  I  was  then  engaged.  The  result  was  that  I  closed 
with  the  offer,  and  the  month  of  October  found  me  a  resident  of 
Bloomington,  and  a  teacher  in  the  State  Normal  University.  The 
connection  thus  formed  has  never  been  severed.  I  came  here  a  young 
man,  but  I  am  reminded  in  many  ways  that  I  am  a  young  man  no 
longer.  Whatever  may  be  the  ultimate  period  of  my  life,  or  what- 
ever other  work  in  the  providence  of  a  good  God  I  may  be  called  to 
undertake,  it  can  hardly  fail  that,  when  my  life  work  is  finished,  I 
shall  find  that  the  largest,  the  most  important,  and  most  character- 
istic part  of  it  has  been  done  here. 

Nor  does  this  probability,  looked  squarely  in  the  face,  cause  me 
a  single  regret.  I  regret,  indeed  that  I  have  not  been  able  to  do  my 
work  here  better ;  but  to  have  given  my  efforts,  such  as  they  were,  to 
the  shaping  of  this  institution  in  its  early  days,  its  days  of  struggle 
and  doubt;  to  have  participated  in  its  subsequent  prosperity,  and  to 
have  shared  in  the  triumphs  that  have  been  set  before  you  by  a  more 


208  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

eloquent  tongue  than  mine;  to  have  taught,  for  a  longer  or  shorter 
period,  every  one  who  has  gone  as  a  graduate  from  its  halls, — at 
least  from  the  Normal  Department, — leaves  no  room  for  regret  that 
I  have  here  spent  some  of  the  years  of  my  youth  and  the  best 
strength  of  my  manhood. 

I  think  there  is  little  need  that  I  should  spend  much  time  in 
relating  facts  of  history  concerning  our  institution.  The  story  of  its 
early  days- — its  founding,  the  struggles  through  which  it  passed,  the 
courageous  self-sacrifice  of  its  friends — has  been  given  you  better  than 
I  could  give  it;  and  it  needs  not  to  be  repeated.  My  predecessor  in 
the  presidency  has  told  you,  with  an  eloquence  that  few  can  command, 
of  its  growth  and  prosperity  in  the  years  that  followed  its  early 
struggles.  The  funny  things  connected  with  its  history  are  to  have 
a  permanent  place  in  the  book  now  preparing,  and  you  will  all  read 
them  there. 

When  I  came  to  the  head  of  the  institution,  in  January,  1876,  it 
was  firmly  established;  it  had  passed  more  than  eighteen  years  of 
vigorous  and  successful  life;  its  methods  of  work  had  crystallized,  at 
least  so  far  as  such  a  thing  is  desirable;  its  character  and  aims  had 
come  to  be  well  understood  by  a  large  part  of  the  community;  nor 
had  it  failed  to  have  settled  a  large  body  of  traditions  such  as  grow 
up  around  every  institution  of  learning.  I  had  not  to  build  the  ship, 
nor  to  launch  it,  nor  to  mark  out  its  voyage,  nor  to  assign  the  duties 
of  its  officers  and  crew.  It  was  already  in  full,  successful  and  confi- 
dent progress.  Other  men  had  labored,  wisely  and  well,  and  nothing 
remained  for  me  but  to  enter  into  their  labors,  and  to  carry  them 
forward  as  best  I  might,  on  the  lines  of  progress  already  clearly 
marked  out. 

It  has  been  said  that  a  time  of  peace  and  prosperity  affords  but 
a  barren  field  for  the  work  of  the  historian.  Thus  the  historical  part 
of  this  discourse  may  be  soon  dispatched.  1876  was  about  the 
middle  point  in  the  period  of  severe  business  depression  through 
which  our  country  has  just  passed.  Our  institution,  in  common  with 
all  others,  had  felt  the  effect  of  this  depression.  It  was  shown  con- 
spicuously in  a  considerable  falling  off  in  the  number  of  its  students. 
"Hard  times,"  so-called,  have  a  two-fold  tendency  to  diminish  the 
number  of  those  who  seek  instruction  in  a  Normal  School..  In 
addition  to  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  the  money  to  pay  current 
expenses  at  such  an  institution,  a  difficulty  which  it  shares  in  common 
with  all  other  schools,  it  has  a  peculiar  influence  to  encounter  from 
the  following  fact:  When  a  diminution  of  revenues,  and  increased 
difficulty  in  collecting  taxes,  make  it  necessary  that  municipalities 
should  diminish  expenses,  they  are  quite  likely  to  be  unwise  in 
selecting  the  point  of  contraction.  As  the  private  individual  is  more 
likely  to  sacrifice  his  newspaper  or  magazine  than  his  beer  and  tobacco, 
so  our  communities  seem  to  be  more  ready  to  cripple  their  schools 


STATE    NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  209 

than  to  curtail  expense  for  some  other  things  that  might  be  better 
spared.  The  heaviest  item  of  expense  for  schools  is  the  salaries  of 
the  teachers;  moreover,  this  item  of  expense  is  one  whose  magnitude 
is  fully  known  and  appreciated  by  "Thomas,  Richard,  and  Henry." 
Hence,  the  pruning  knife  of  economy  is  likely  to  be  felt  here  sooner 
than  anywhere  else.  As  a  result,  teaching  becomes  a  very  much  less 
attractive  Held  for  prospective  labor,  and  fewer  will  be  found  who  are 
ready  to  incur  expense  in  preparing  themselves  to  enter  this  unprom- 
ising field.  I  think  the  reasons  I  have  given  fully  account  for  the 
falling  off  in  the  number  of  students  to  which  I  have  referred.  For, 
with  the  return  of  better  times,  and  a  tendency  toward  a  restoration 
of  teachers'  salaries,  our  numbers  began  to  increase,  and  have  con- 
tinued to  do  so.  Our  enrollment  in  the  Normal  Department  for  the 
last  winter  term  reached  369,  an  appreciably  higher  mark  than  had 
ever  been  reached  before. 

I  am  well  aware  that  the  excellence,  efficiency  or  benefits  to  a 
community  which  belong  to  an  institution  of  learning  cannot  be 
gauged  by  the  the  gross  number  of  its  students;  but  a  large  attend- 
ance is  certainly  presumptive  evidence  of  efficiency  and  resulting 
benefit,  and  with  many,  perhaps  most  people,  hardly  any  other  test 
is  applied. 

Moreover,  there  are  those  in  the  Legislature  and  elsewhere,  who 
are  disposed  to  estimate  the  work  of  the  school,  simply  by  numbers, 
and  at  the  same  time  to  take  into  the  account  the  number  of  gradu- 
ates alone.  Tried  by  this  test,  we  suffer  severely;-  for  in  fact,  but 
about  one-tenth  of  those  who  enter  the  Normal  School  take  its 
diploma.  Our  course  of  study  is  more  extended  than  that  of  most 
Normal  Schools.  We  insist  rigidly  on  our  rule  of  requiring  each  one 
to  reach  a  fixed  standard  of  attainment  in  any  study  before  he  is 
allowed  to  pass  that  study.  Many  of  our  students,  as  some  of  you 
well  know,  are  dependent  upon  their  own  exertions  for  means,  and, 
before  their  course  is  complete,  they  are  obliged  to  go  out  and  teach. 
They  may  leave  us  with  a  full  intention  of  returning  to  complete  their 
course,  but,  if  successful  in  their  teaching,  they  are  sorely  tempted 
to  remain  in  the  school  room  instead  of  returning  here  to  finish  their 
work.  Perhaps  it  may  also  be  said  that  some  do  not  appreciate 
sufficiently  the  advantages  of  a  completed  course  and  an  enrollment 
among  the  alumni.  From  all  these  causes,  it  happens  that  the  num- 
ber of  our  graduates  bears  but  a  small  ratio  to  the  whole  number  of 
our  students.  I  have  hoped  that,  as  the  years  go  on,  this  state  of 
things  may  change  somewhat.  I  think  it  will ;  and  still,  much  as  I 
should  rejoice  to  see  a  larger  number  of  our  students  attain  a  place 
among  the  alumni,  much  as  I  regret  to  see  that  many  do  not  seem  to 
estimate  the  value  of  our  diploma  as  highly  as  I  think  they  should,  I 
would  not  entertain  for  a  moment  the  proposition  to  lower  our 
demands  in  order  to  increase  the  number  of  our  graduates.  I  do  not 


210  HISTORY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

want  to  see  our  diplomas  any  cheaper.  Rather  let  the  diploma  mean 
as  much  as  it  does  now,  even  if  it  must  continue,  as  it  has  so  long, 
that  a  large  part — probably  the  largest  part — of  our  influence  on  the 
schools  of  the  State  must  continue  to  be  exerted  by  our  under- 
graduates. 

The  six  and  one-half  years  since  January,  1876,  have  been  years 
of  harmony  and  prosperity.  But  very  few  changes  have  occurred  in 
our  faculty,  nor  have  our  relations  to  eacli  other  been  marred  by 
quarrels  or  bickerings  such  as  afflict  many  faculties.  Yery  few  cases 
of  severe  discipline  of  students  have  arisen.  I  think  they  may  all 
be  counted  on  the  fingers  of  one  hand,  and  still  have  a  finger  or  so  to 
spare.  Our  interruptions  by  sickness  of  either  teachers  or  students 
have  not  been  very  serious  in  any  case,  and  but  one  out  of  the  whole 
number  of  teachers  and  students  in  all  departments,  has  died  during 
that  time.  I  commend  this  fact  to  the  consideration  of  those  timid 
people  who  fear  that  we  are  killing  our  people  by  hard  work. 

Our  institution  has  never  shown  an  undue  haste  in  taking  up 
new  plans  of  educational  work.  We  have  never  been  over-anxious, 
I  think,  to  forsake  the  old  and  well-tried  for  the  new  and  experi- 
mental. I  trust  that  we  have  not  been  unwilling  to  "prove  all 
things,"  at  least  all  things  that  were  worth  proving,  but  our  strong 
tendency  has  been  to  "hold  fast  that  which  is  good."  Hence,  there 
have  been  few  radical  changes  in  our  plans  and  methods  of  work 
during  the  last  six  and  one-half  years.  Three  somewhat  important 
changes  are  worthy  of  a  passing  notice.  During  President  Edwards' 
administration,  we  had  come  to  feel  that  our  training  work,  the 
actual  practice  work  of  our  students  in  the  instruction  of  classes  in 
the  model  school,  was  failing  to  do  justice  both  to  the  pupil-teachers 
themselves  and  also  to  the  young  people  who  were  placed  under  their 
care  for  instruction,  and  it  was  believed  that  this  failure  arose  from 
the  fact  that  their  work  was  not  always  wisely  planned  nor  properly 
supervised.  The  reason  that  this  was  so,  was  found  in  the  fact  that, 
with  their  multiplicity  of  other  duties,  no  member  of  the  faculty  was 
able  to  give  this  work  of  planning  and  supervising  the  attention  it 
required.  Hence,  in  1874,  the  office  of  training  teacher  was  estab- 
lished, and  our  oldest  professor  was  relieved  from  the  duties  of  his 
chair  and  inducted  into  the  new  office.  The  wisdom  of  this  step  has 
been  sufficiently  demonstrated. 

But  another  evil  was  found  to  exist,  which  a  new  device  was 
necessary  to  remedy.  Of  course,  we  could  not  put  classes  into  the 
hands  of  our  pupils  for  actual  instruction,  until  those  pupils  had  had 
the  benefit  of  our  training  for  a  few  terms.  But  it  was  found  that 
quite  a  large  per  cent,  of  our  pupils  remained  with  us  but  one  or  two 
terms,  and  left  without  ever  having  undertaken  this  practice-work. 
Nor  had  they  received  direct  professional  instruction  or  practice  of 
any  kind — nothing  beyond  what  was  incidental  to  the  daily  move- 


STATE   NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  211 

merits  of  the  school  and  to  their  pursuit  of  the  several  branches  of 
study  in  the  class  room.  Hence,  a  lady  competent  to  instruct  young 
children  philosophically,  and  also  prepared,  at  the  same  time,  to 
expound  the  philosophy  of  her  work  to  others,  was  sought  out  and 
put  in  charge  of  the  primary  room,  with  the  title  of  assistant  training 
teacher.  It  was  then  ordained  that  all  who  entered  the  Normal 
School  should  spend  one  hour  a  day,  during  the  first  term,  in  observ- 
ing her  work  with  the  children,  or  in  listening  to  the  exposition  of  her 
philosophy  of  the  work  that  they  had  seen  done.  Moreover,  they 
must  keep  a  careful  record  of  what  they  observed,  and  of  what  they 
were  taught,  and  be  examined  in  regard  to  the  results.  Thus  arose 
the  study  called  "Observation,"  among  us,  a  study  not  popular  with 
many  at  first,  but  against  which  I  have  heard  no  complaint  now  for  a 
long  time.  Furthermore,  many  now  ask  to  be  allowed  to  pursue 
this  work  beyond  the  limits  of  our  demands  upon  them ;  and 
generally  such  as  prefer  this  request  are  among  our  brightest,  best- 
prepared,  and  most  promising  pupils. 

Secondly,  our  laboratories  for  the  study  of  the  natural  sciences 
have  been  enlarged,  improved,  and  much  better  supplied  with 
apparatus  than  formerly.  A  quite  important  change  has  followed  in 
our  methods  of  teaching  those  sciences.  In  all  of  them,  the  work 
consists  of  experiments,  to  a  much  greater  extent  than  formerly.  Not 
simply  nor  chiefly  seeing  experiments  performed  by  the  professor,  but 
the  actual  making  of  the  experiments  by  the  pupils  themselves.  In 
this  way,  we  feel  that  we  have  come  more  into  harmony  with  the 
theory  and  practice  of  the  best  modern  teachers  of  science,  and  the 
results  are  correspondingly  gratifying. 

About  three  years  ago,  feeling  that  something  might  be  done  to 
bring  more  of  the  teachers  of  the  State  to  share  in  the  benefits  of  the 
Normal  University,  and  at  the  same  time  to  bring  about  a  closer  union 
between  our  institution  and  the  body  of  actual  teachers  in  the  State 
who  had  never  received  instruction  here,  I  proposed  to  our  Board 
that  we  should  cut  down  the  regular  work  01  our  school  year  from 
thirty-nine  weeks  to  thirty-six,  and  introduce  a  special  term  for  actual 
teachers,  four  weeks  in  length,  to  be  held  in  the  month  of  August. 
My  proposition  met  the  approval  of  the  Board,  and  the  first  suoh  term 
was  held  in  August,  1880.  About  two  hundred  teachers  were  present, 
a  majority  of  whom  had  never  been  here  as  students  before.  These 
teachers,  representing  an  immense  aggregate  of  experience,  took  hold 
of  the  work  with  much  enthusiasm,  and  expressed  themselves  highly 
pleased  with  what  had  been  done  for  them.  The  next  year,  about 
thirty  more  came,  and  the  term  was  equally  successful.  The  third 
teachers'  term  is  now  in  progress.  The  increase  in  attendance  is  a 
little  greater  this  year  than  it  was  last,  and  the  results  promise  to  be 
quite  as  encouraging.  I  feel  that  the  movement  is  fairly  accomplish- 
ing the  two-fold  purpose  I  had  in  view  when  I  proposed  it  to  the  Board. 


212  HISTORY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

The  Illinois  State  Normal  University  has  now  completed  a  round 
twenty-five  years  of  life  and  work.  During  the  first  four  years,  under 
the  administration  of  President  Ilovey,  aided  by  Moore,  Potter, 
Sewall,  and  your  speaker,  together  with  others  whose  term  of  service 
was-  shorter,  its  foundations  were  firmly  laid,  the  work  received  its 
impetus,  and  its  scope  and  character  were  determined.  After  three 
years  of  hard  nursing  in  old  Major's  Hall,  in  Bloomington,  this 
spacious  and  commodious  structure,  erected  in  the  face  of  difficulties 
that  a  man  less  full  of  pluck,  persistency,  and  sublime  audacity,  than 
its  first  president,  would  not  have  overcome,  was  ready  in  the  fall  of 
1860,  to  receive  the  school.  Here,  for  one  year,  the  work  went  on 
under  the  same  managers,  before  the  tempest-tones  of  war  called  the 
president,  most  of  the  teachers,  and  of  the  male  students,  to  the  field. 
Then  followed  a  year  of  transition  under  the  able  management  of 
Perkins  Bass,  aided  by  two  of  the  helpers  of  his  predecessor,  together 
with  some  others.  The  times  were-  troublous,  the  difficulties  weiv 
great,  but  the  work  of  the  school  was  held  firmly  to  the  course  already 
marked  out,  and  in  the  model  department,  the  high  school  work  was 
well  started  under  the  guidance  of  the  lamented  Childs. 

Before  the  year  closed,  a  man  came  upon  the  stage  here  who  was 
to  play  a  conspicuous  part  at  the  head  of  affairs  for  the  next  thirteen 
years  and  a  half.  Early  in  President  Edwards'  administration,  came 
Professors  Metcalf  and  Stetson,  and  soon  after,  Mr.  Pillsbury  suc- 
ceeded to  the  place  of  Mr.  Childs,  whom  St.  Louis  had  recalled.  The 
story  of  President  Edwards'  administration,  and  of  the  succeeding 
one,  I  need  not  tell  again. 

During  these  twenty-five  years,  members  of  this  faculty,  men 
and  women,  have  here  invested  the  best  of  their  powers,  and  of 
themselves,  for  periods  of  five,  ten,  fifteen,  twenty  years.  No  other 
Normal  School  on  the  continent  has  had,  or  has  now,  such  an  accumu- 
lation of  teaching  experience  in  its  faculty.  During  this  time,  more 
than  5,000  young  men  arid  women  have  entered  as  students  in  the 
Normal  Department,  of  whom  386  have  received  our  diploma,  and 
thousands  of  others  have  gone  forth,  bearing  the  training  received 
here  for  longer  or  shorter  periods,  to  take  their  places  in  the  school 
rooms  of  the  State. 

What  have  been  the  results?  I  have  no  figures  that  will  express 
them,  nor  can  they  be  expressed  in  figures.  But  I  am  sure,  after  all 
allowances  have  been  made,  that  a  grand  success  has  crowned  our 
efforts — a  success  that  has  given  the  institution  an  enviable  reputation, 
not  only  in  our  own  State  and  in  the  neighboring  States,  but  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  as  well. 

If  I  am  asked  to  give  the  specific  reasons  for  this,  success,  I  shall 
name  the  following  as  chief,  in  my  opinion:  First,  the  singleness  of 
aim  in  all  that  has  been  done,  viz.,  to  fit  young  persons  for  the  work 
of  teachers  in  the  school  room.  '"This  one  thine:"  we  started  to  do 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  213 

in  1857,  and  this  one  thing  is  the  aim  from  which  we  have  never 
swerved  to  the  present  day.  Second,  I  would  name  the  faithfulness, 
thoroughness,  and  singleness  of  purpose  with  which  the  men  and 
women  who  have  taught  here  have  done  their  work-  Third,  I  would 
include  the  fidelity  with  which  such  an  overwhelming  majority  of  our 
graduates  and  under-graduates  have  gone  forth  to  redeem  the  pledges 
made  to  the  State,  by  the  devotion  of  their  powers  and  their  acquire- 
ments to  the  doing  of  the  work  for  which  they  were  trained  here. 
Nor  must  I  forget  to  mention,  in  this  connection,  the  wisdom  and 
faithfulness  which  have  been  shown  by  members  of  the  Board  of 
Management,  some  of  whom  have  served  in  this  capacity  almost  as 
long  as  the  veterans  among  the  members  of  the  faculty. 

If  I  were  asked  what  peculiarities  of  the  teaching  here  have  done 
most  to  give  our  pupils  the  strength  they  have,  and  to  crown  our 
work  with  the  success  that  has  followed,  I  should  not  hesitate  a 
moment  to  name  two.  First,  the  fact  that  our  main  strength  has  been 
given  to  the  elementary  studies.  We  believe  in  reading,  arithmetic, 
and  map-drawing,  and  we  have  some  faith  in  spelling,  as  a  worthy 
subject  of  school  study,  especially  for  teachers.  It  is  at  the  foun- 
dation of  the  structure  where  the  best  work  is  needed,  but  where  too 
often  the  poorest  work  is  found.  Second,  I  should  name  the  intelli- 
gent thoroughness  with  which  these  foundation  subjects  have  been 
preserved.  We  believe  that  work  rightly  done  on  the  elementary 
studies  can  be  made  as  efficient  for  training  the  mental  powers,  the 
essential  part  of  an  education,  as  any  work  in  the  whole  field  of 
scholastic  pursuit.  Our  faith  on  these  two  points  is  no  new  thing, 
but  a  survey  of  the  work  done  here  for  twenty-five  years  and  the 
results  of  that  work  make  that  faith  stronger  to-day  than  ever  before. 

Yes,  the  Normal  University  has  succeeded.  The  evidences  of 
this  fact  are  abundant  and  convincing.  The  past  is  secure.  No  mis- 
takes of  the  future  can  obliterate  it.  Whatever  of  disaster  may  be 
in  store  for  this  grand  enterprise,  nothing  can  destroy  what  has 
already  been  done,  nor  annihilate  the  influences  that  have  gone  forth 
from  this  point  as  a  center. 

But  our  enemies  are  not  all  converted,  nor  are  they  all  dead  yet. 
From  time  to  time,  here  and  there, — often  in  the  very  places  where 
we  should  least  expect  them, — are  heard  the  same  old  questionings, 
assertions,  and  objections,  and  this  being  the  case,  perhaps  I  cannot 
better  fill  the  remaining  pages  of  this  paper  than  with  a  brief  pre- 
sentation of  the  reasons  why  Normal  Schools  should  exist,  and 
should  be  supported  at  the  public  charge. 

I  shall  assume  that  the  necessity  of  free  public  schools  for  the 
education  of  the  whole  people  is  settled.  I  believe  it  is  settled  in 
the  minds  of  the  great  American  public  in  Illinois  and  elsewhere. 
Questions  of  detail  may  still  arise.  Questions  of  the  scope  of  the 
studies  to  be  pursued,  of  the  best  methods  of  doing  the  work,  etc., 


214  HISTORY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

but  I  do  not  believe  that  our  people  will  ever  consent  to  discuss 
seriously  the  question  of  the  utility  and  necessity  of  the  free  public 
school. 

Now,  it  is  clear  that  the  value  of  a  school  depends  upon  the 
character  of  its  teacher  vastly  more  than  upon  anything  else;  yea, 
than  all  other  things  combined.  If  the  teacher  is  good,  the  school 
will  be  good,  whatever  else  may  be  lacking.  If  the  teacher  is  worth- 
less, the  school  is  a  total  failure,  although  everything  else  may  be  of 
the  best.  Furthermore,  it  would  seem  to  be  clear  that  persons  who 
are  to  do  the  best  work  as  teachers  must  receive  a  special  training  for 
that  work.  As  much  as  this  is  conceded  for  the  proper  doing  of  the 
commonest  mechanical  work.  No  man  will  send  his  old  boot  to  be 
mended  to  any  one  who  has  not  been  trained  to  mend  boots,  although, 
perchance,  the  same  man  will  put  the  training  of  his  children  into 
the  hands  of  some  green  boy  or  girl  who  has  never  given  one  half-hour 
to  learning  how  to  do  the  work.  Is  the  training  of  the  future  citizen, 
of  the  young  immortal,  at  the  critical,  formative  period  of  his  life,  so 
much  simpler  than  the  repairing  of  a  broken  boot?  Experience  in 
this  country  and  in  others,  has  fully  shown  that  teachers  trained  in 
the  philosophy  and  practice  of  their  profession  will  not  be  forth- 
coming in  sufficient  numbers  unless  special  schools  are  established  on 
purpose  to  give  that  special  training;  hence,  the  necessity  for  Normal 
Schools.  Normal  Schools  have  been  in  existence  in  Europe  almost 
one  hundred  and  fifty  years.  They  have  existed  in  this  country  for 
about  forty  years.  Now,  the  exact  work  and  methods  of  a  Normal 
School  have  never  been  settled,  and  perhaps  they  will  not  be  settled 
for  a  long  time  to  come,  if  ever;  but  the  aim  or  purpose  of  a  Normal 
School  is  simple  and  single,  viz.,  to  prepare  prospective  teachers  for 
their  work.  Any  school  which  has  this  for  its  sole  aim,  and  does 
work  which  accomplishes  this  purpose  to  a  reasonable  degree,  is  a 
Normal  School.  Any  school  which  aims  at  something  more  or  less 
than  this,  or  at  something  different  from  it,  is  not  properly  a  Normal 
School,  no  matter  how  much  incidental  help  for  his  future  work  the 
candidate  for  teaching  may  get  there. 

Recently,  a  whole  brood  of  so-called  Normal  Schools  has  been 
spawned  here  in  these  western  States,  which  have  no  right  to  the  title, 
simply  for  the  reason  I  have  given.  They  do  not  make  the  prepa- 
ration of  teachers  their  special  and  single  purpose.  By  their  own 
published  circulars,  they  are  shown  to  be  Normal  Schools  no  more 
than  they  are  ''business  colleges,"  or  "schools  of  telegraphy,"  or 
"classical  schools,"  or  "music  schools,"  or  what  not.  They  have 
chosen  this  word  Normal  rather  than  some  other  one  out  of  half  a 
dozen  equally  appropriate,  to  say  the  least,  simply  because  those  who 
have  wrought  in  real  Normal  Schools  have  done  such  work  as  to  give 
that  word  a  greater  cash  value  tha«i  any  of  the  others,  and  so  have 
made  it  worth  "appropriating."  Nor  would  it  be  an  easy  matter,  if 


STATE    NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  215 

indeed  it  were  possible,  to  keep  a  school  dependent  on  popular  patron- 
age for  its  support,  strictly  and  exclusively  to  the  work  of  a  Normal 
School;  nor  would  it  be  easy  to  insist  in  such  a  school  upon  the  work 
being  done  in  such  a  way  as  best  to  accomplish  that  purpose;  hence, 
a  reason  why  Normal  Schools  should  be  established  and  supported 
and  controlled  by  the  State. 

Prof.  Payne,  of  Ann  Arbor,  in  a  recent  article,  urges  the 
"enforced  preparatory  training  of  a  prescribed  kind  for  the  few  who 
propose  to  assume  grave  responsibilities,  and  to  perform  duties  of 
extraordinary  difficulty  and  importance."  He  says:  "The  only  prac- 
ticable safeguard  against  empiricism,  against  an  ignorant  and  culpable 
trifling  with  the  highest  and  dearest  of  human  interests,  is  a  training 
of  a  prescribed  kind  and  degree  for  all  who  would  assume  such  grave 
responsibilities  and  duties."  Can  such  training  as  he  here  demands 
for  teachers,  be  reasonably  expected  except  in  an  institution  established 
by  government,  under  its  control,  and  supported  at  its  expense  ?  Wise 
leaders  of  public  thought  have  said  "no,"  and  hence  they  have  advo- 
cated the  establishment  and  support  of  State  Normal  Schools. 

If,  then,  the  value  of  our  public  schools  depends  upon  their 
teachers,  if  these  teachers  require  a  special  kind  of  training,  if  those 
having  this  required  training  are  not  forthcoming  in  sufficient  numbers 
without  government  assists  in  their  preparation,  and  if  governmental 
authority  and  support  are  necessary  in  order  that  a  school  should  give 
this  training  in  the  best  way,  it  is  clearly  the  duty  of  the  State  to 
establish  and  support  such  schools. 

But,  let  it  be  clearly  understood  that  government  does  this  in 
order  to  further  its  own  purposes,  and  for  nothing  else.  Such  schools 
may  confer  great  benefits  upon  those  who  are  instructed  in  them, 
but  that  is  not  the  reason  for  their  existence;  they  are  in  no  sense  to 
be  regarded  as  charitable  institutions.  The  money  spent  for  such 
schools  should  be  regarded  as  spent  in  the  interest  of  public  econ- 
omy. Whatever  is  invested  in  our  public  schools  is  thrown  away, 
if  all  the  teachers  are  worthless.  In  whatever  degree  anything 
improves  the  efficiency  of  the  teachers,  just  in  that  ratio  it  gives 
worth  to  the  money  expended  for  the  schools  taught  by  those  teach- 
ers. Our  State  spends  about  $7,500,000  annually  for  its  public 
schools;  if,  then,  the  work  and  influence  of  its  two  Normal  Schools 
make  the  teaching  in  the  State  one  per  cent,  better  than  it  would  be 
without  them,  then  it  follows  that  their  cash  value  to  the  State  is 
$75,000  per  year.  Whether  their  influence,  direct  or  indirect,  does 
make  the  teaching  in  Illinois  one  per  cent,  better  or  not,  I  will  not 
assert;  I  merely  say  that,  if  it  does  so,  they  pay  to  the  State  an 
annual  interest  at  the  rate  of  more  than  fifty  per  cent,  on  the  annual 
investment  of  less  than  $50,000  to  support  them. 

And  how  much  does  this  annual  expenditure  really  burden  the 
tax-payers  ?  I  made  a  careful  calculation  a  few  years  ago,  based  on 


216  HISTORY   OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

official  data,  and  I  found  that  a  man  that  pays  tax  on  $3,000,  —  and 
such  a  man,  as  we  rate  property  for  taxation,  would  be  worth  about 
$10,000,  —  this  man  pays  less  than  twenty  cents  yearly  towards  the 
support  of  both  these  schools.  This  is  a  little  less  than  the  cost  of 
two  moderately  good  cigars  !  Can  any  one  wonder  that  some  of  our 
economical  politicians  would  be  glad  to  blot  us  out,  not,  of  course, 
because  they  love  us  less,  but  because  they  love  the  tax-payers  more  ! 

It  is  possible  that  some  one  might  grant  all  that  I  have  said, 
and  yet  ask:  Why  should  not  the  State  insist  that  the  teacher  should 
get  his  necessary  preparation  at  his  own  expense?  Why  educate 
teachers  at  the  public  cost  any  more  than  lawyers,  or  physicians, 
or  ministers?  Are  not  the  interests  of  the  public  health,  the  public 
morality  and  religion,  and  public  justice,  quite  as  important  as  the 
interests  of  public  education  ?  Without  any  attempt  at  discussing 
the  last  question,  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  the  State  puts  itself  into 
no  such  relations  to  these  interests  as  it  does  to  that  of  public  educa- 
tion. It  does  not,  by  its  constitution,  appoint  a  State  officer  to  have 
the  oversight  of  these  interests.  It  does  not  put  its  hand  into  the 
pockets  of  its  citizens,  willing  and  unwilling  alike,  and  take  out 
millions  of  money  to  promote  these  interests.  Hence,  it  is  not  under 
the  same  obligations  to  do  .everything  necessary  in  order  that  these 
interests  may  not  suffer,  and  to  provide  whatever  means  may  be 
requisite  in  order  that  the  money  it  has  taken  from  its  people  by 
force,  and  invested  in  its  own  way,  be  not  squandered. 

But  we  are  still  told  sometimes  that  these  young  people  will  not 
teach,  even  after  they  have  been  prepared  to  do  so  at  the  public 
expense.  However,  recent  careful  statistics  which  so  clearly  prove 
the  falsity  of  this  charge  in  respect  to  all  our  students,  save  a  very 
tew,  have  caused  this  statement  to  become  much  less  frequent. 

One  of  the  funniest  points  made  by  our  opponents  is,  that  what- 

ever need  there  may  once  have  been  for  State  Normal  Schools,  they 

lave  now  accomplished  their  work;  they  have  outlived  their  usefu'l- 

ness      When  it  is  remembered  that  about  20,000  teachers  are  needed 

the  schools  of  Illinois,  and  that  the  average  period  of  their  teach- 

ing is  about  three  years,  this  statement  appears  verv  much  like  a 

nige  joke       t  would  seem  that  the  necessity  for  Normal  Schools  will 

cease  at  about  the  same  time  with  the  necessity  for  cradles  and  cribs, 

and  not  much  sooner. 

But  we  still  hear  it  said  occasionally,  that  our  Normal  School  is  a 
local  institution  that  McLean  County  derives  most  of  the  benefit  from 
is  hard  to  understand  how  any  one  can  talk  thus,  if  he  will  take 
h°W  the  residences  of  our  students  are 
to  Cairo'  and  from  the  Wabash  to  the 


T  1.  ' 

?fl  J2  c^nsul!:mg  the  catalogues  of  the  other  Normal 

f  the  country,  that  there  is  scarcely  another  one  of  which  the 
charge  could  not  be  made  with  more  force  than  of  our  own.     If  we  are 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  217 

in  good  repute  at  home,  that  can  hardly  be  set  down  against  us;  and 
it  might  be  urged  that  the  princely  gift  of  McLean  County  to  this 
institution  entitles  her  to  some  favors.  But  it  will  be  found  thaf, 
under  the  rules  of  our  Board,  the  only  special  privilege  granted  to 
candidates  from  McLean  County  is  this:  If  they  come  to  enter  the 
Normal  Department  without  appointment,  they  are  required  to  show, 
on  examination,  that  they  are  prepared  more  than  forty  per  cent. 
better  than  candidates  from  other  counties. 

Friends,  I  have  made  no  attempt  to  seize  upon  the  poetry  of  this 
occasion,  nor  have  the  speakers  who  have  preceded  me.  The  temp- 
tation was  strong  to  dwell  upon  the  memories  that  this  celebration  is 
s<  >  well  calculated  to  awaken,  or  to  give  free  wing  to  fancy,  and  attempt 
to  picture  the  glories  that  shall  attend  the  completion  of  another 
quarter  of  a  century,  or  to  speak  words  of  eulogy  and  of  kind  remem- 
brance of  those  whose  feet  have  grown  weary  by  the  way,  and  who 
have  laid  them  down  to  their  rest  before  reaching  the  meridian.  We 
have  attempted  none  of  these  things.  We  have  given  you  the  plain 
prose,  but  I  close  by  expressing  the  hope  that  some  of  the  poetry  may 
be  reached  before  the  day  is  ended. 


ADDRESS   BY  W.   L.  PELL8BUBY,    A.   M. 


The  growth  of-  Illinois  from  1850  to  1860,  in  population  and  in 
wealth,  was  immense.  In  the  development  of  its  material  resources 
it  made  progress  as  great.  Improvements  in  farm  machinery,  open- 
ing up  coal  mines  and  building  great  railroads,  multiplied  the  number 
and  enhanced  the  value  of  our  farms,  increased  our  farm  products, 
and  made  markets  for  them  accessible,  and  started  us  on  the  road  to 
become  what  we  now  are,  the  greatest  agricultural  State  in  the  Union, 
and  what  our  friend,  Mr.  Jesse  W.  Fell,  whose  absence  to-day  we  so 
much  regret,  says  we  shall  be, — the  seat  of  the  greatest  manufactories 
of  the  world.  But  the  growth  of  that  decade  is  not  all  recorded  in 
the  census  reports  and  the  transactions  of  the  State  Board  of  Agri- 
culture. There  was  a  growth  of  ideas  as  well.  It  is  true  that  certain 
black  laws,  of  which  we  hear  much  in  every  political  campaign,  were 
put  upon  the  statute  books  of  the  State  about  that  time ;  but  it  is 
also  true  that  the  same  time  gave  birth  to  the  movement  and  trained 
the  man  through  whose  agency  all  black  laws  have  been  swept  from 
the  statute  books  of  this  and  all  the  other  States. 

We  go,  too,  to  1855  for  our  first  free  school  law,  for  the  law  that 
established  common  schools  upon  taxation  of  property,  providing  for 
the  first  time  a  State  tax  and  a  feasible  and  eifective  plan  of  local 
taxation  in  their  behalf.  And,  following  close  upon  this  free  school 
law  of  1855,  we  find  its  corollary,  the  act  of  1857,  establishing  the 
Illinois  State  Normal  University  to  train  teachers  for  the  free  schools. 
Hence,  then,  from  this  fruitful  decade,  this  stately  building  on  the 


218  HISTORY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

prairie,  this  renowned  school  of  teachers;  hence  these  alumni,  and 
this^  auspicious  meeting. 

'But  the  whole  of  this  subject,  fortunately,  does  not  belong  to 
me.  Gen.  Hovey,  last  night,  and  Dr.  Edwards,  this  morning,  in 
eloquent  words,  have  told  you  of  the  struggle  for  free  schools  and 
the  Normal  School,  of  the  men  and  the  arguments  that  prevailed,  of 
the  making  the  bricks  in  these  walls, — not  perhaps  without  straw 
but  without  what  is  more  needful  in  these  times, — money.  They  have 
told  how  the  University  grew  and  matured  under  their  wise  care, 
and  Dr.  Hewett  has  told  you  in  fitting  terms,  of  both  its  earlier 
and  its  later  days,  of  which  he  has  been  so  great  a  part.  It  is  for  me 
to  speak  more  especially  of  the  model  school,  that  has  grown  up  be- 
side the  Normal  School  from  the  beginning. 

I  have  said  that  the  law  establishing  the  State  Normal  University 
was  a  corollary  of  the  free  school  law  of  1855.  In  like  manner  a 
training  school,  or  a  model  school,  is  an  essential  part  of  a  complete 
Normal  School.  I  shall  not  elaborate  this  statement  nor  attempt  to 
prove  it  before  this  audience,  for  I  am  sure  that  you  all  concede  that 
it  is  true.  There  has  been,  and  still  is,  a  difference  of  opinion  on  the 
question  whether  this  auxiliary  of  the  Normal  School  should  be  a 
model  school,  or  a  training  or  practice  school.  It  has  been  said  on 
the  one  hand,  that  the  purpose  should  be  "to  place  before  the  pupil- 
teachers  a  correct  model,  a  thing  to  be  looked  at,  studied  and 
imitated,"  and  on  the  other  hand,  that  the  purpose  should  be  "to 
send  the  pupil-teachers  to  the  school  to  experiment  and  acquire  prac- 
tical skill  in  teaching."  Doubtless  much  might  be  said  on  this 
question  that  would  not  be  entirely  out  of  place  here,  but  I  prefer  to 
present  the  history,  and  to  add  only  a  few  conclusions. 

The  purpose  in  the  beginning  here  seems  clearly  to  have  been 
to  establish  a  school  to  be  observed  and  studied;  and  hence  the  name 
by  which  it  has  always  been  known — THE  MODEL  SCHOOL.  The  first 
allusion  to  the  model  school  which  I  find  in  the  proceedings  of  the 
State  Board  of  Education,  is  in  the  report  of  a  committee  consisting 
of  Messrs.  Rex  and  Hovey,  who  had  been  appointed  by  the  Board  at 
its  second  meeting,  "to  visit  the  various  Normal  and  high  schools  of 
the  East,  and  report  to  the  Board  upon  the  subject  of  building,  inter- 
nal arrangements,  etc."  The  Board  adjourned  from  May  7  (this  was 
in  the  year  1857)  to  June  23,  and  at  the  adjourned  meeting  of  the 
Board,  the  committee,  having  meanwhile  made  the  trip  East,  under 
the  ^"etc."  part  of  their  instructions,  I  suppose,  presented  a  careful 
outline  of  their  "views  upon  the  nature,  object,  organization,  course 
of  training,  gradation  and  management  of  Normal  Schools."  In 
that  report  the  committee  say:  "The  third  step  is  that  indicated 
above;  namely,  to  give  practical  skill  by  actual  service  under  instruc- 
tion in  the  school  of  practice,  or  model  school.  They  should  here  be 
taught  that  there  can  be  no  real  success  in  practice  without  a  rational 


STATE   NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  210 

theory  to  which  such  practice  can,  at  every  step,  be  referred.  They 
should  be  made  to  see  and  to  feel  that  there  must  be  a  reason  for 
every  process  in  education,  as  well  as  in  medicine,  or  engineering,  or 
mechanics."  [Proceedings  State  Board  of  Education,  June  23,  1857, 
p.  10.] 

At  this  same  meeting  of  the  Board,  Mr.  Hovey  was  elected 
principal  of  the  Normal  University,  that  was  to  be.  At  the  next 
meeting  of  the  Board,  held  August  18,  it  was  resolved  that  the 
first  session  of  the  Normal  University  should  begin  on  the  first  Mon- 
day in  October;  "also  that  the  principal,  should  it  be  necessary,  be 
authorized  to  employ  a  principal  teacher  in  the  model  school."  [Pro- 
ceedings State  Board  of  Education,  August  18,  1857,  p.  14-.] 

Pursuant  to  this  resolution,  Miss  Mary  M.  Brooks,*  who  had 
been  a  primary  school  teacher  in  the  Peoria  schools,  was  appointed 
principal  of  the  model  school,  the  purpose  being  to  begin  with  a  class 
of  primary  pupils.  In  the  report  of  the  State  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction,  1857-8,  p.  392,  I  find  the  following,  written  by 
Gen.  Hovey,  in  December,  1858,  a  little  more  than  a  year  after  the 
school  opened : 

"The  model,  or  experimental  school,  is  a  necessary  adjunct  of  a 
training  school  for  teachers,  and  it  was  therefore  determined  to  estab- 
lish the  primary  grade  at  once.  Miss  Mary  M.  Brooks,  a  young  lady 
of  remarkable  fitness  for  the  place,  was  appointed  principal. 

"At  first  the  success  of  the  school  was  not  very  flattering,  there 
being  only  seven  pupils  during  an  entire  term,  and  one  of  these  was 
received  gratuitously.  The  second  term  opened  with  ten,  and  closed 
with  fourteen  pupils.  But  on  the  morning  of  the  first  day  of  the 
third  term,  every  seat  was  filled,  and  over  fifty  applied  who  could 
not  be  received  for  want  of  room.  So  long  as  there  was  room  in  the 
Normal  School  for  a  class  of  twelve  pupils  of  the  intermediate  grade, 
they  were  received  and  taught  partly  by  the  Normal  students,  and 
the  proceeds  of  their  tuition  applied  to  the  payment  of  the  salary  of 
the  model  school  principal,  and  such  assistants  as  it  was  found  neces- 
sary to  employ.  This  class,  now  grown  into  eighty  pupils,  has  passed 
into  the  hands  of  Mr.  G.  Thayer.  The  receipts  for  tuition  in  the 
model  school  during  the  first  year  amounted  to  $439.50,  and  were 
wholly  applied  to  the  payment  of  teachers.  The  members  of  Section 
A  have  spent  considerable  time  in  this  school  as  observers  and  teach- 
ers, and  the  members  of  the  other  sections  or  classes  will,  in  turn, 
do  the  same." 

It  is,  perhaps,  fortunate,  that  the  model,  rather  than  the  training 
school  idea  prevailed  in  the  start,  for  had  all  the  Normal  School 
been  permitted  to  assist  in  the  nursing,  I  fear  the  infant  might  have 
perished  in  its  cradle.  Its  trials  would  have  been  as  terrible  as  those 
of  that  freshman  class  of  one,  to  which  Holmes  says  the  sophomores 

*See  letter  at  close  of  this  article. 


•JL'D  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

and  faculty  of  Harvard  once  devoted  their  attention  for  a  year.  But, 
happily,  the  child  passed  safely  through  the  perils  of  infancy  and  has 
shown  a  lusty  growth. 

Perhaps  I  should  say  in  passing,  that  Mr.  Gilbert  Thayer,  who  is 
mentioned  by  General  Hovey  in  the  extract  above,  was  at  that  time 
keeping  a  private  school  in  a  building  on  the  north  side  of  the  square 
in  Bloomington,  about  where  «Fitz  William's  store  now  stands,  and  that 
the  connection  between  his  school  and  the  model  school  was  never 
more  than  merely  nominal.  Mr.  Thayer  was  never  regarded  as  a 
teacher  of  the  University.  The  model  school  continued  on  the  same 
course  for  three  years,  until,  with  the  Normal  School,  it  removed  to 
this  building.  It  was  mainly  a  school  for  observation,  of  the  primary 
and  intermediate  grades,  and  the  instruction  was  given  by  Miss 
Brooks,  who  received  some  help  from  two  or  three  students  who  were 
called  assistants.  Miss  Brooks  left  at  the  end  of  the  third  year,  and 
the  school  began  in  this  building  with  three  new  teachers,  and  some 
higher  classes  were  started. 

The  year  1861-2  gave  the  model  school  for  the  first  time  a  high 
school  department.  At  the  beginning  of  the  second  term,  or  about 
the  first  of  January,  1862,  Mr.  Charles  F.  Childs,  who  came  from  the 
principalship  of  the  Franklin  school,  in  St.  Louis,  was  made  principal 
of  the  model  school,  and  the  high  school  was  organized  by  him. 

The  school  at  this  time  grew  rapidly,  partly  because  of  the 
increase  in  population  of  the  school  district  in  which  the  University  is 
situated,  the  pupils  of  which  attended  the  model  school,  and  partly 
%  an  influx  of  pupils  drawn  by  the  reputation  that  the  school  already 
began  to  have.  This  growth  in  numbers,  there  being  only  two 
teachers  in  the  school,  changed  very  materially  the  relations  between 
it  and  the  Normal  School.  In  the  three  lower  grades  it  became  more 
closely  allied  to  a  training  school.  How  far  this  change  had  pro- 
gressed, and  the  way  in  which  the  work  of  the  pupil-teachers  was 
done,  and  how  it  was  made  valuable  to  them  by  direction  and 
criticism,  is  very  clearly  shown  by  the  following,  which  I  find  from 
Dr.  Edwards,  in  the  State  report  of  1861-2,  written  December,  1862: 
"One  of  the  most  prominent  features  of  the  Normal  University 
is  the  model  school.  It  is  precisely  what  its  name  implies, — a  model 
by  wliich  the  students  of  the  University  may  be  guided  in  the  teaching 
and  discipline  of  their  own  schools.  It  is  placed  under  the  charge  of 
instructors  whose  methods  and  skill  in  teaching  and  governing  may  be 
held  before  the  uninitiated  as  the  best  known.  The  influence  upon  the 
minds  of  those  about  to  go  out  as  teachers,  of  having  constantly  before 
them  a  school  of  superior  character,  whose  every  movement  they  are 
required  to  inspect,  and  whose  progress  they  may  note,  is  certainly 
very  great ;  but  when  in  addition  to  this  they  are  themselves  required 
to  conduct  classes  in  such  a  school,  and  according  to  its  high  model, 
their  work  being  carefully  inspected  and  criticised  by  the  regular  teach- 


STATE   NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  221 

ers  of  both  the  Normal  and  model  schools,  we  cannot  fail  to  see  that 
an  opportunity  for  improvement  in  the  art  of  teaching  is  offered  by 
it  such  as  is  furnished  by  no  other  instrumentality.  A  plain  statement 
of  the  method  pursued  in  reference  to  the  practice  of  the  Normal 
students  in  the  model  school,  will  best  illustrate  the  utility  of  this  part 
of  a  teachers'  seminary. 

"At  the  beginning  of  each  term,  such  members  of  the  higher 
classes  in  the  University  as  are  designated  by  the  principal  for  practice 
in  the  model  school,  have  classes  assigned  to  them  for  the  term. 
Each  student  so  designated  has  charge  of  one  class  in  one  study,  and 
is  therefore  employed  in  teaching  one  hour  in  the  day,  the  remaining 
time  being  appropriated  to  other  work.  For  the  progress  of  his  class 
during  the  term,  each  pupil-teacher  is  held  responsible,  the  principal 
and  other  teachers  making  from  time  to  time  such  suggestions  as  the 
case  seems  to  demand.  As  frequently  as  possible,  however,  the  class, 
under  its  teacher,  goes  through  an  exercise  before  the  faculty  and  the 
b<  »dy  of  pupil  teachers.  This  exercise  is  intended  to  be  a  fair  sample 
of  an  ordinary  recitation ;  or,  if  allowed  to  differ  from  that,  it  is  in 
order  to  illustrate  more  fully  some  principle  or  method  considered 
important.  After  a  reasonable  time  employed  in  the  exercise  the  class 
is  dismissed,  and  the  method  and  manner  of  the  instructor  are  fully 
and  freely  discussed  by  all  present, — their  merits  and  demerits  pointed 
out,  and  improvements  suggested.  In  these  discussions  many  princi- 
ples are  set  forth  and  illustrated,  and  thus  fixed  in  the  minds  of  all 
present;  practical  suggestions  are  made  just  where  they  are  most 
needed, — in  connection  with  actual  work;  the  objections  that  arise  in 
any  mind  are  presented,  and,  if  unfounded,  are  answered;  so  that 
everything  proposed  is  tried  by  the  most  natural  and  proper  tests.  It 
will  be  seen  that  in  these  exercises  and  discussions,  the  advantages  of 
both  theory  and  practice  are  combined  in  a  very  desirable  and  efficient 
manner.  Without  the  practical  illustration  presented  in  the  exercise, 
the  general  principles  enunciated  in  the  discussion  would  not  be 
aj  (predated  nor  remembered ;  and  without  the  discussion,  the  peculi- 
arities of  the  exercise  might  be  unobserved,  or  understood  only  as 
isolated  facts,  and  their  uses  and  relation  to  other  facts  remain 
unperceived. 

' '  The  model  school,  as  here  organized,  is  a  very  important  auxiliary 
to  the  Normal  University.  But  to  make  it  efficient,  it  must  be  under 
the  charge  of  skilful  and  earnest  teachers.  In  this  way  there  is  pre- 
sented to  the  Normal  students  a  practical  illustration  of  the  teaching 
in  any  grade  to  which  they  may  be  called. ' ' 

Many  of  you  here  present  recognize  the  faithfulness  of  the  pic- 
ture. From  the  great  increase  in  numbers,  beginning  in  1862,  until 
1874,  there  was  no  considerable  change  in  the  relations  between  the 
Normal  and  the  model  schools.  For  a  part  of  the  time  the  model 
school  had  been  over-run  with  pupils,  and  four  principals,  one  for  each 

•0 


222  .  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

department,  and  an  assistant  in  the  high  school  and  the  grammar 
school  had  been  found  necessary.  But  with  the  discontinuance  of  the 
connection  with  the  district  school  there  came  relief;  the  grammar  and 
intermediate  departments  were  consolidated,  and  the  school  lias  con- 
tinued thus  organized  up  to  this  date.  But  these  changes  had  brought 
no  essential  modification  in  the  functions  of  the  school  as  a  model  or 
training  school.  The  instructors  of  the  University,  both  in  the  Normal 
school  and  model  school,  had  been  more  and  more  crowded  with 
work.  The  duties  of  the  president  had  multiplied.  There  was  no 
one  who  could  do  more  than  snatch,  from  pressing  duties,  a  little  time 
to  look  after  the  work  of  the  pupil-teachers,  and  they  did  not  receive 
that  careful  and  continuous  supervision  which  is  essential  both  for 
their  profit  and  to  the  welfare  of  the  pupils  taught.  The  evil,  which 
plainly  existed,  was  met  by  the  appointment  of  one  of  the  teachers  of 
the  Normal  school  to  the  exclusive  duties  of  a  training  teacher,  and 
the  principals  of  the  primary  and  grammar  school  were  styled,  in 
addition  to  the  title  of  principals,  first  and  second  assistant  training 
teachers  ;  and  the  change  in  name  indicated  a  corresponding  change 
in  a  part  of  their  duties, — a  change  which,  it  should  be  said,  had  to 
some  extent  already  taken  place. 

Under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Metcalf  as  training  teacher,  the  work 
of  the  pupil-teachers  has  been  most  carefully  systematized,  and  the 
training  teacher  or  one  of  his  assistants  is  constantly  at  hand  to  advise, 
to  direct,  and  to  note  the  faults  and  excellences.  *  A  further  step  has 
been  made  which  carries  us  back  to  the  idea  of  the  model  school.  The 
pupils  of  the  entering  class  each  term  visit,  for  observation,  one  hour 
a  day,  the  class  in  charge  of  the  principal  of  the  primary  department, 
The  principal  takes  pains  to  explain  her  methods  and  the  philosophy 
of  them  to  her  observers ;  the  whole  is  discussed,  and  subsequently 
the  pupils  preparing  to  teach  are  examined  upon  the  work. 

Viewing,  then,  the  model  school  as  an  adjunct  of  the  Normal 
school,  we  see  it  occupying  these  three  positions:  First,  a  model 
school  for  observation,  with  only  a  primary  department ;  next,  the 
transformation  having  come  about  from  an  increase  in  the  number  of 
pupils,  a  school  with  a  high  school  department,  which  was  a  model 
school,  and  lower  departments,  which  were  training  schools;  and, 
finally,  ^  the  high  school  remaining  a  model  school,  the  lower  grades 
containing  a  training  school  for  the  pupil-teachers,  so  far  as  to  have 
all  the  benefits  that  we  may  reasonably  seek  in  a  training  school, 
unless  we  say  that  its  pupils  are  mere  subjects  to  be  operated  upon, 
and  a  school  of  observation  for  entering  classes;  while,  at  the  same 
time,  all  is  so  carefully  and  so  skilfully  supervised  that  it  is  still  a 
model  school. 

It  appears  to  me  that  in  this,  as  often  in  other  matters,  the  truth 
has  been  found  between  the  extremes,  and  I  give  it  as  my  judgment 
that  under  the  present  regime,  prevailing  for  the  last  eight  years,  the 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  223 

model  school  is  more  nearly,  than  ever  before,  accomplishing  its  part 
in  furtherance  of  the  legitimate  purposes  of  the  University.  "But," 
some  one  will  say,  "this  may  be  true  enough  so  far  as  the  grammar 
and  primary  grades  go  ;  but  why  have  a  high  school  department?" 

When  I  became  principal  of  the  model  school  in  1863,  Dr.  Ed- 
ward#  said  to  me  that  he  wanted  the  high  school  developed  upon  a 
liberal  plan  and  with  a  high  standard  to  be  attained.  I  believed  he  was 
right  theoretically,  then ;  and  as  I  read  the  results,  there  has  been  no 
conflict  between  them  and  the  theory.  Such  an  auxiliary  school  of  a 
Normal  school  should  be  a  model  school.  Would  you  have  a  headless 
model  (  Again  show  me  a  public  school,  I  care  not  whether  it, be  a 
city  high  school  or  a  country  district  school,  in  which  the  teacher,  or 
the  school  board,  thinks  that  the  teacher  may  be  finished  off  and 
turned  out  with  a  diploma,  and  with  about  all  the  education  they  will 
ever  need, — a  public  school  that  does  not  have  constantly  in  view  fitting 
boys  and  girls  to  acquire  further  education,  either  by  their  own  unguided 
efforts,  or  in  another  school, — and  I  will  show  you  a  teacher  and  a 
school  board  that  fail  to  comprehend  what  education  means,  and  a 
school  that  fails  to  educate  in  the  noblest  sense  of  the  word.  And  so 
I  would  have  in  our  model  school  a  high  schooj  in  which  fitting  boys 
and  gir]s  for  the  college  and  the  seminary  and  the  scientific  school 
shall  be  more  prominent  than  preparing  them  to  graduate.  This  I 
consider  the  main  argument  for  our  model  high  school.  The  idea  of 
something  beyond  should  be  constantly  presented  by  precept  and 
example  to  those  who  are  to  become  teachers  of  our  youth.  But  I 
consider  that  there  is,  aside  from  this,  abundant  reason  for  its  exis- 
tence, inasmuch  as  it  is  unquestionably  the  high  school  in  view  that 
does  much  to  fill  up  the  grammar  school ;  and  because  the  principal  of 
the  higli  school  has  always  been  able  to  reciprocate,  in  a  large  meas- 
ure, for  the  instruction  of  his  pupils  in  Normal  school  classes,  by 
receiving  Normal  pupils  to  his  own  classes. 

So  far  I  have,  spoken  of  the  model  school,  and  have  given  its 
history,  viewing  it  as  an  adjunct  of  the  Normal  School.  But  it  has  had 
a  history  of  its  own, — a  history  that  is  apart  from  that  which  I  have 
given.  It  has  had  a  corps  of  teachers  of  whom,  and  of  whose  faith- 
fulness and  skill  and  ability  and  loyalty  to  the  University,  much  might 
be  said.  But  time  forbids,  and  I  can  only  ask  you  to  pause  a  moment 
for  a  word  of  tribute  in  memory  of  some  of  those  who  have  fallen. 

Mary  M.  Brooks,  the  first  principal  of  the  model  school,  was  a 
teacher  of  some  experience,  and  of  rare  skill  and  power  in  teaching, 
winning  and  training  children.  She  had  a  wonderful  grasp  of  the 
principles  of  primary  education;  and  it  is  the  uniform  testimony  of 
tin isc  who  were  teachers  or  pupils  in  the  Normal  School  during  the 
three  years  of  her  principalship,  that  she  filled  her  position  most  civd- 
itably,  and  that  she  made  the  school  in  her  charge  a  model  school  in 
reality  as  well  as  name. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 


Among  the  six  young  men  present  that  October  morning  twenty- 
five  years  ago,  when  the  first  session  of  the  University  began,  was 
Joseph  G.  Howell,  then  about  nineteen  years  old,  the  youngest  of 
them  all,  I  believe,  who  had  come  two  hundred  miles  and  more,  from 
near  Carmi,  in  White  county,  to  prepare  himself  to  be  a  teacher  in  the 
public  schools.  He  continued  a  pupil  for  three  years,  graduating  in 
the  first  class,  and  was  immediately  thereafter  made  a  teacher  in  the 
model  school,  and  at  the  beginning  of  the  second  term  of  the  year, 
1860-61,  became  principal.  The  catalogue  for  the  year  has  this  note: 
"From  defects  in  the  records,  resulting  from  the  hurried  departure 
for  the  war  of  the  principal  of  the  model  school,  it  is  impossible  to 
publish  a  correct  list  of  the  names  in  that  department."  And  a  later 
catalogue  having  a  list  of  those  who  became  soldiers  says:  "Joseph 
G.  Howell,  Company  K,  Eight  Illinois  Infantry;  killed  at  the  siege  of 
Fort  Dorielson.  "  These  brief  words  tell  of  the  quick  response  to  the 
nation's  call,  and  the  swift-following  death  of  as  noble  a  youth  as  ever 
laid  down  his  life  for  right  and  country.  I  have  learned  from  his  class- 
mates that  he  was  the  son  of  a  Presbyterian  minister;  that  he  was  a 
young  man  of  unusual  mental  power  and  promise  ;  that  he  was  by 
common  consent  the  foremost  man  of  his  class.  He  was  earnest  and 
patient  and  ambitious;  but  he  was  always  a  genial  companion,  and  his 
heart  was  filled  with  ready  sympathy  for  every  friend. 

During  his  brief  career  as  a  teacher  he  won  the  hearts  of  all  his 
pupils,  as  well  as  their  respect,  by  his  manliness  and  his  ability. 
When  the  first  call  for  ninety-day  men  came,  he  enlisted,  the 
first  from  the  University,  a  private  under  Captain  Harvey  at  Bloom- 
ington,  and  was  mustered  in,  April  25,  1861,  at  Springfield.  His  regi- 
ment, the  Eighth,  under  Colonel  Dick  Oglesby,  was  the  second  "in 
number  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  (the  first  six  were  the  numbers  for 
the  Mexican  war);  but  it  was  organized  the  same  day  as  the  Seventh, 
which  took  the  first  in  number,  and  Colonel  Oglesby,  of  the  Eighth,  it 
was  agreed  should  outrank  Colonel  Cook,  of  the  Seventh.  When  the 
ninety  days  were  up,  Howell  reenlisted  at  once,  helped  to  reorganize 
company  K,  and  was  made  first  lieutenant.  In  the  light  at  Donelsori, 
Colonel  Oglesby  was  in  command  of  a  brigade,  and  Lieutenant  Howell 
was  detailed  to  act  as  a  staff  officer.  While  on  duty  he  was  shot  in 
the  eye  and  fell  dead.* 

*At  this  point,  the  speaker  was  interrupted  by  Dr.  Hewett,  who  said  he  wanted 
to  relate  a  little  meident.  Said  he,  "In  the  summer  of  1861,  Howell  returned  on 
a  brief  furlough,  to  visit  Normal  for  the  last  time.  One  morning,  as  I  was  coming  up 
the  southeast  walk  towards  the  University,  I  met  him  returning  from  a  farewell  visit 
to  his  little  friends  m  the  model  school.  The  sun  was  shining  fiercely,  but  he  was 
walking  bare-headed,  his  soldier's  cap  in  his  hands  filled  with  flowers  that  the  little 
ones  had  given  him.  He  paused  and  spoke  a  few  words,  then  passed  on,  carrying 
tenderly  the  love-tributes  of  the  children.  It  was  the  last  time  I  ever  saw  him  alive." 

[It  was  an  interesting  fact  that  one  of  the  little  girls  who  contributed  the  flowers 
was  present,  in  the  person  of  Mrs.  Flora  M.  Hunter,  the  dean  of  the  Wesleyan  College 
of  Music.] 


STATE  NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  225 

His  memory  belongs  to  the  whole  University,  but  a  more  fitting 
place  for  some  memorial  of  him  would  be  in  No.  12,  where  he 
taught.  I  have  in  my  hands  five  dollars  that  may  be  used  for  that 
purpose,  and  if  there  are  those  of  his  classmates  or  friends  who  will 
increase  the  amount,  the  recollections  of  his  life  may  be  preserved  as 
a  precious  memory,  to  teach  our  youth  a  lesson  of  noble  devotion  and 
patriotism.  The  day  after  Mr.  Howell's  enlistment,  he  resigned  his 
position  .as  principal  of  the  model  school,  and  recommended,  for  his 
successor,  Mr.  J.  H.  Buruham,  of  the  graduating  class.  His  wishes 
were  carried  out.  The  summer  session  had  been  in  operation  about 
one  week,  and  Mr.  Burnham  finished  the  term  of  twelve  weeks,  and 
graduated  with  his  class  by  having  his  teaching  in  the  model  school 
counted  as  an  equivalent  for  the  studies  of  the  last  term. 

As  I  have  already  said,  about  the  first  of  January,  1862,  Mr. 
Charles  F.  Childs  came  from  the  public  schools  of  St.  Louis  to  the 
principalship  of  the  model  school.  A  man  about  thirty-two  years  of 
age,  a  graduate  of  Antioch  College  while  Horace  Mann  was  its 
president,  and  a  teacher  of  considerable  experience,  he  had  already  a 
well-established  name  in  the  profession.  Gen.  Hovey  had,  in  the 
outset,  substantially  outlined  the  plan  of  the  model  school,  and  Miss 
Brooks  had  most  ably  seconded  him  in  developing  that  plan  for  the 
lower  grade  of  the  school.  To  Mr.  Childs  belongs  the  credit  of  the 
first  organization  of  the  high  school.  Under  him  the  school  rapidly 
won  a  reputation  that  has  continued,  and  that  has  brought  here  the 
hundreds  of  pupils  that  have  thronged  the  model  school,  coming 
from  all  parts  of  the  State.  Mr.  Childs  was  an  untiring  student,  and 
he  made  the  model  school  a  working  school,  for  he  had  wonderful 
power  in  impressing  himself  upon  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact, 
and  especially  upon  the  young.  He  was  a  live  man,  abreast  with  the 
spirit  of  the  times,  and  filled  with  a  noble  ambition  to  win  a  place 
and  a  name  that  should  last.  He  left  the  model  school  at  the  close 
of  the  school  year  1862-3,  and  became  principal  of  the  St.  Louis 
high  school.  He  staid  there  until  his  death,  in  February,  1866.  I 
had  hoped  to  make  this  meager  sketch  fuller,  but  have  been 
unsuccessful  in  my  search  for  material. 

A  little  later,  March  29,  1866,  a  memorial  exercise  in  his  honor 
was  held  in  the  hall  above,  and  I  am  permitted  by  the  author  to  read 
a  few  stanzas  from  a  poem  prepared  for  that  occasion. 

While  sluggards  slept,  he  bravely  sought  to  gain 

The  goal  to  noble  workers  ne'er  denied, 
Who  leave  the  noxious  vapors  of  Life's  plain 

For  Fame's  far  summit  towering  in  its  pride. 

The  tireless  Teacher!  whose  unbending  will, 

Forever  active  in  the  quest  for  truth,         . 
Played  on  his  pupils'  hearts  with  matchless  skill, 

And  roused  to  worthy  deeds  the  minds  of  youth. 


226  HISTORY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

Scorner  of  meanness,  hater  of  pretense, 

Bold  to  avow  convictions  all  his  own, 
He  pierced  deception's  veil  with  keenest  sense, 

And  dared,  when  conscience  bade,  to  stand  alone. 

Though  sculptured  pile,  above  his  silent  dust, 

With  tongue  of  marble  ne'er  his  fame  should  tell, 

The  souls  he  stirred  and  waked  to  manly  trust 
Will  keep  the  record  of  his  labors  well. 

It  is  fitting,  perhaps,  that  I  should  say  a  word  of  the  high 
school.  The  catalogue  has  shown  usually  but  one  teacher  of  the 
school,  or  at  most  two.  That  has  been  to  some  extent  misleading; 
for,  as  you  know,  the  pupils  of  the  high  school  have  been  freely 
admitted  to  all  the  classes  of  the  Normal  School;  and  thus,  instead 
of  one  or  two  teachers,  the  school  has  constantly  had  a  full  corps  of 
able  instructors,  having  many  special  qualifications  as  teachers  in 
their  particular  departments.  Taking  this  view  of  the  case,  I  have 
no  hesitation  in  saying  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  in  the  country 
a  secondary  school  that  has  offered  to  its  pupils  a  broader  or  a  richer 
course  of  study.  I  think  the  result  of  this  has  been  apparent  in  the 
pupils  of  the  school. 

I  want  here  to  note  an  error  in  the  catalogue.  It  shows  from 
1862  to  1871,  but  a  year's  course  in  Greek.  It  should  show  a  three 
years'  course.  No  pupil  has  ever  graduated  from  the  classical  course 
of  study  without  doing  three  full  years'  work  in  Greek. 

But  what  shall  I  say  to-day  for  the  nearly  five  thousand  pupils 
who  have  frequented  the  model-school  rooms  during  the  quarter  of  a 
century  whose  limit  we  mark  to-day?  One  tiling  should  not  be  left 
unsaid.  No  account  of  the  teachers  sent  out  from  the  University 
would  be  complete  that  left  them  out.  About  half  of  the  graduates 
have  taught,  and  have  averaged  about  three  years  apiece,  and  the 
under-graduates  of  the  school  who  have  taught  have  been  numbered 
by  the  hundreds. 

The  pupils  of  the  model  school,  since  it  grew  to  respectable  num- 
bers, have  always  had  a  wonderful  love  for  it,  a  great  esprit  de  corps. 
The  school,  though  down  stairs,  and  not  the  University  nor  the  largest 
interest  in  it,  has  always  been  jealous  of  its  own  good  name  and  no 
mean  competitor  of  the  Normal  School  for  society  and  University 
honors. 

It  is  too  soon  to  expect  great  things  in  the  history  of  the  world 
of  the  pupils  of  a  school  begun  but  twenty-five  years  ago  as  an  a  b  c 
school,  and  whose  first  class  was  graduated  since  the  close  of  the  war. 
But  they  are  already  to  be  found  among  the  rising  men  of  the 
professions,  among  the  merchants,  the  mechanics,  and  the  farmers. 
Many  of  the  girls  are  worthy  matrons  now.  If  I  mistake  not  there  is 
abundant  promise  for  the  future ;  and  to  that  I  think  we  may  safely 
leave  the  harvest. 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  227 

In  closing,  I  will  only  say  that  I  am  sure  no  school  has  ever  had 
more  loyal  pupils  than  those  of  the  model  school,  and  that  the  Normal 
University  has  to-day  no  truer  or  stauncher  friends  than  are  to  be 
found  among  those  whose  names  have  been  enrolled  upon  the  registers 
of  the  primary  school,  the  grammar  school  and  the  high  school  below. 

NORMAL,  ILLINOIS,  August  27,  1882. 
MY  DEAR  SIR: 

Soon  after  I  came  to  the  State  in  1854,  a  young1  woman  timidly  introduced  herself 
to  me  at  my  school  room  in  Peoria,  as  Mary  Brooks,  from  Brimfield.  She  was  about 
the  usual  height,  of  rather  large  frame,  a  little  gaunt,  or  poor  in  flesh,  with  a  head  to 
delight  an  artist,  and  a  face  so  sincere  and  winning  as  to  greatly  impress,  I  will  not 
say  fascinate,  the  beholder.  She  was  a  Vermonier  by  birth,  but  her  parents  had 
settled  in  Illinois  some  years  before.  She  said  she  wanted  to  engage  in  teaching  and 
desired  to  pursue  preparatory  studies  with  me.  She  developed  rapidly,  serving  as  a 
pupil-teacher  and  as  a  full  teacher  in  Peoria  for  about  two  years.  Children  loved  her 
at  sight,  and  the  love  was  returned.  It  was  genuine,  and  I  think  quite  involuntary  qn 
both  sides.  Neither  could  help  it.  She  had.  or  seemed  to  have,  an  intuitive  knowledge 
of  a  child's  mind  at  different  stages  of  development,  and  a  genius  for  inventing 
methods  to  aid  its  growth.  I  call  this  power  intuition,  genius,  but  I  do  not  mean  that 
it  came  to  her  without  effort.  She  was  a  hard  student  of  books  and  of  nature.  When 
a  model  school  was  determined  upon  as  an  incident  and  annex  to  the  Normal 
University,  the  Board  of  Education,  on  the  advice  of  the  principal,  invited  Miss 
Brooks  to  take  charge  of  it.  Her  class  was  composed  of  children.  It  was  intended 
at  that  time  chiefly  as  a  model,  and  not  as  a  school  of  practice  for  pupil-teachers.  I 
shall  not  soon  forget  how  Mary  and  her  little  friends  got  on  together  in  their  cramped 
and  unsuitable  room  under  a  corner  of  Major's  Hall,  •  nor  how  the  most  learned 
man  of  the  Board,  Dr.  Bunsen,  used  to  sjt  for  hours,  sometimes  whole  days,  watching 
Mary's  work,  as  pleased  as  any  of  the  children,  and  apparently  unconscious  of  the- 
lapse  of  time.  The  management  and  methods  of  the  model  school  during  this  period, 
would  repay  study,  if  available.  I  do  not  know  that  they  were  ever  described  in  print, 
and  I  cannot  undertake  to  describe  them  now.  After  three  years  of  successful  labor, 
the  first  teacher  in  the  model  school  resigned,  to  become  Mrs.  James  M.  Wiley,  and 
died  January  9,  1863,  leaving  two  children,  George  and  Katie. 

Very  truly,  CHARLES  E.  HOVET. 

To  W.  L.  Pillsbury,  Esq. 


THE  CELEBRATION. 


As  early  as  May,  1881,  preparations  were  began  for  a  quarter- 
centennial  celebration  in  1882. 

By  correspondence,  it  was  ascertained  that  a  much  larger  number 
could  attend  in  August  than  at  the  time  of  the  annual  commencement, 
in  Mav.  Arrangements  having  been  perfected,  the  exercises  began  on 
the  evening  of  August  24.  After  a  cornet  solo,  by  Charles  Luf kin, 
General  Ilovey,  now  residing  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  delivered  the 
address  found  in  the  preceding  pages.  The  weather  was  very  unfav- 
orable, but  the  speaker  was  greeted  by  a  large  and  enthusiastic  audi- 
ence, many  of  whom  had  been  identified  with  the  early  history  of  the 
school. 

On  Friday  morning  the  assembly  room  was  crowded  to  its  utmost 
capacity  bv  a  happy  throng  of  old  students,  pioneer  workers  in  educa- 


228  HISTORY   OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

tional  enterprises  in  the  State,  and  prominent  citizens  of  Normal  and 
•Blooming-ton.  Nearly  an  hour  was  spent  in  having  a  good,  old-fash- 
ioned sociable.  The  early  classes  were  well  represented.  Harvey 
Dutton  and  Lizzie  .Carleton  had  journeyed  up  from  Missouri.  Logan 
Holt  Roots  had  forgotten  his  banks  and  railroad  schemes,  and  Mexican 
telephones,  and  was  there,  the  happiest  of  the  happy.  Anna  Grennell 
Hattield  paid  the  school  her  first  visit  since  her  graduation  eighteen 
years  ago.  These  and  scores  of  others  had  returned  to  the  familiar 
halls  rendered  sacred  by  hallowed  associations,  to  greet  old  mates  and 
renew  their  allegiance  to  their  "cherishing  mother."  Charles  E. 
Hovey  was  there,  quiet  and  grave  as  of  old,  but  with  a  twinkle  of  joy 
in  his  eyes  that  spoke  more  than  volumes.  Richard  Edwards  was 
the  centre  of  a  boisterous  group  of  his  boys  and  girls,  and  he  the 
youngest  of  them  all,  while  E.  C.  Hewett,  the  shortest  in  stature  but 
the  longest  in  service,  put  to  shame  all  of  his  previous  attempts  at  wit 
and  hilarity. 

Thomas  Metcalf  broke  his  vacation  off  at  the  short  end  to  be  on 
hand,  and  Albert  Stetson,  his  co-worker  for  twenty  years,  was  nowise 
behindhand  in  promoting  the  general  fun.  Hon.  Newton  Bateman, 
grown  gray  in  the  service,  laid  aside  his  cares  for  a  day  to  greet  old 
friends  and  join  in  the  general  rejoicing.  Father  Roots,  lion.  Charles 
T.  Strattan,'  Hon.  Thomas  F.  Mitchell,  Dr.  E.  R.  Roe,  Hon.  Robert 
Brand,  and  many  others'  whose  names  are  familiar  to  Normal  students, 
were  in  the  audience.  At  ten  o'clock,  President  Walker  called  the 
assembly  to  order  and  announced  the  following  order  of  exercises : 

Piano  solo,  Mrs.  Flora  M.  Hunter;  address,  Dr.  Edwards; 
reading  of  Henry  Norton's  paper,  by  John  W.  Cook;  piano  duct, 
Mrs.  Flora  M.  Hunter,  Miss  Minnie  Potter;  address,  W.  L.  Pillsbury; 
address,  E.  C.  Hewett.  These  papers  are  found  in  the  earlier  part 
of  this  volume.  At  three  o'clock,  the  alumni  business  meeting  was 
held  in  the  Philadelphian  Hall.  The  chief  item  of  interest  was  a  sub- 
scription to  provide  a  memorial  for  the  lamented  Howell,  as  suggested 
by  Mr.  Pillsbury  in  his  address.  In  a  few  minutes  a  sufficient  sum  was 
collected  to  insure  the  success  of  the  movement.  A  committee  con- 
sisting of  Silas  Hays  and  Captain  Burnham  from  the  alumni,  and  Dr. 
Hewett  from  the  faculty,  will  have  the  whole  matter  in  charge. 

The  event  of  events  was,  of  course,  the  banquet.  Miss  Flora 
Pennell,  of  the  executive  committee,  had  that  part  of  the  work  under 
her  supervision.  The  executive  committee  asked  Miss  Carrie  Pennell, 
an  under-graduate  living  in  the  village,  to  prepare  the  supper.  She 
undertook  the  task  and  the  successful  manner  in  which  it  was  accom- 
plished was  a  matter  of  universal  comment.  The  large  hall  had  been 
elaborately  decorated  for  the  occasion.  Festoons  of  evergreens  con- 
nected the  chandeliers;  flowers  were  scattered  about  in  profusion; 
a  shower  from  a  fountain,  in  the  center  of  the  hall,  fell  upon  a  huge 
circular  basin  filled  with  plants  and  blossoms;  tablets  on  the  walls  bore 


STATE    NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  229 

the  names  of,  "our  dead,"  and  a  fine  large  crayon  portrait  of  Samuel 
W.  Paisley  occupied  a  place  on  the  west  side  of  the  hall.  Class 
pictures,  crayon  designs,  and  various  other  appliances  completed  the 
decorations.  Humphrey's  orchestra  furnished  delightful  music  for  the 
occasion.  At  six.  o'clock  the  procession  filed  into  the  room,  the 
alumni  taking  their  places  at  the  tables  by  classes.  The  guests  weiv 
seated  along  the  south  side,  facing  north,  and  on  the  outside  of 
the  side  tables.  John  W.  Cook,  of  the  class  of  1865,  acted  as  master 
of  ceremonies.  When  ah1  were  seated,  Dr.  Edwards  asked  the  bless- 
ing, and  the  assembled  company,  two  hundred  and  twenty  in  number, 
entered  upon  the  serious  business  of  the  evening — the  discussion  of 
the  numerous  delicacies  spread  before  them.  After  this  part  of  the 
business  had  been  disposed  of,  the  toasts  were  in  order. 

Gov.  Cullom  had  indicated  his  intention  to  be  present,  but  was 
taken  sick  in  the  train  and  was  obliged  to  return  to  Springfield.  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor  Hamilton  was  on  hand,  however,  and  responded  to 
the  toast,  "A  true  and  tried  friend  of  popular  education."  Dr.  Bate- 
man  was  "toasted"  as  "the  man  who  hrst  gave  the  schools  of  Illinois 
a  national  reputation,"  but  the  doctor  had  been  obliged  to  return  to 
Gulesburg  on  the  afternoon  train.  The  sentiment,  however,  was 
greeted  with  loud  cheers.  "Our  venerable  friend,  the  president  of 
the  State  Board  of  Education, — for  a  full  half  century  the  light  of 
Egypt,"  brought  Father  Roots  to  his  feet  for  a  characteristic  speech  of 
ten  minutes.  Judge  Reeves  responded  to  the  toast,  "The  Bar — the 
last  resort  of  the  school-master."  The  class  toasts  and  speakers  were 
as  follows :  "Our  First  Born— the  Class  of  '60,"  E.  A.  Gastman;  "The 
Class  of  '61,"  J.  H.  Burnham;  "The  Class  of  '62,"  Logan  H.  Roots; 
"The  Class  of  65,"  O.  F.  McKim;  "The  Class  of  '66,"  Sarah  E.  Ray- 
mond; "The  Class  of  '68,"  Henry  McCormick;  "The  Class  of  70," 
Joseph  Carter.  lion.  Jesse  W.  Fell  and  Flon.  A.  J.  Merriman  were 
expected  to  tell  "  How  McLean  County  got  the  Normal  School."-  Mr. 
Fell,  however,  was  unexpectedly  called  to  Iowa  three  days  before  the 
meeting.  It  was  a  serious  disappointment  to  him  and  to  the  company, 
for  his  activity  in  securing  the  location  is  generally  understood.  Judge 
Merriman  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  County  Commissioners  in 
1857,  and  with  his  associates,  Hiram  Buck  and  Milton  Smith,  made 
the  county  appropriation  of  §70,000.  The  judge  also  had  the  distin- 
guished honor  of  laying  the  corner  stone  of  the  building.  Speech- 
making,  however,  is  not  in  his  line,  and  so  Dr.  E.  R.  Roe  told 
the  story  in  his  stead,  and,  at  its  conclusion  responded  to  the  toast : 
"Our  Early  Teachers."  General  Hovey  was  called  upon  to  let 
us  know  ''how  the  building  was  erected,"  but  instead,  spoke  as 
follows : 

An  intimation,  more  or  less  plainly  stated,  has  several  times 
been  made,  tending  to  show  that  the  first  presiding  officer  of  this 
institution  was  substantially  its  founder,  and  that,  at  least,  the 


230  HISTORY   OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

building  could  not,   or  would  not,   have  been  built   at  the  time  it 
was  without  him. 

I  am  glad  of  an  opportunity  to  speak  of  these  matters,  and  I 
may  claim,  I  suppose,  without  challenge,  that  I  was  part  of  them. 
Right  or  wrong,  the  chief  place  in  the  beginning  fell  to  me,  and, 
with  it,  came  an  opportunity  of  influencing  the  trend  of  affairs  in  the 
institution,  and,  to  some  extent,  out  of  it.  I  had  done  what  I  could 
to  bring  about  the  legislation  which  set  the  school  in  motion.  Here, 
again,  the  accident  of  position*  at  the  critical  time  enabled  me  to 
know  and  do  what  would  otherwise  have  been  impracticable.  My 
advice  as  to  plans  for  the  proposed  building  was  generally  followed, 
and  my  services  in  and  about  its  erection  came  to  be  in  considerable 
demand  before  it  was  completed.  But  it  would  be  a  mistake  to  say 
that  the  Normal  University  owes  its  establishment,  or  conduct  after- 
wards, to  any  one  man  or  set  of  men.  It  was  the  outgrowth  of  the 
ideas  and  wishes  of  a  majority  of  the  people  of  Illinois,  formulated 
and  uttered  by  a  large  number  of  persons,  and  by  at  least  two 
inflaential  State  associations.  Prof.  Turner  and  the  Industrial 
League  blazed  the  way,  but  they  did  not  found  the  Normal  Univer- 
sity. The  State  Teachers'  Association  followed  and  secured  for  it  a 
hearing,  but  the  association  did  not  found  it.  Father  Roots  tells 
you  that  Simeon  Wright  was  the  man  who  did  the  business,  and  I 
think  myself  his  services  were  indispensable,  but  it  would  hardly  be 
correct  to  say  that  he  was  the  Atlas  of  the  enterprise.  The  first 
superintendent  of  public  instruction  elected  by  the  people,  assisted  in 
drafting  the  bill,  but  he  did  not  enact  it  into  law.  His  successor,  the 
honored  president  of  Knox  College,  stood  guard  over  its  interests  at 
the  gateway  of  danger  for  many  years,  and  took  care  ne  quid 
detrimenti  Normalis  Universitas  capiat,  but  even  he  was  not  the 
sole  Fidus  Achates.  Hon.  S.  W.  Monlton,  Hon.  C.  B.  Denio,  Dr. 
Calvin  Goudy,  and  a  majority  of  both  Houses  of  the  Legislature, 
voted  for  the  Normal  University  Act,  and  Governor  Bissell  signed 
it,  but  they  were  not  the  founders  of  the  institution;  and  yet,  without 
each  and  all  of  these,  I  do  not  see  how  it  could  have  been  established 
at  the  time  it  was,  and  as  it  was.  Each  was  a  link  in  the  golden 
chain,  but  only  a  link. 

Nor  do  I  see  how  it  could  have  been  located  in  McLean  County 
without  Jesse  W.  Fell ;  and  yet  Jesse  Fell  did  not  bring  it  here.  A 
very  modest  and  worthy  citizen  (Judge  Merriman),  who  appears  to  be 
listening  to  me  from  a  corner  of  the  table  to  my  right,  and  two  other 
McLean  County  men  (Messrs.  Buck  and  Smith),  were  the  heroes  of 
that  act.  They  took  the  responsibility  and  risk  to  themselves, 
politically,  of  involving  the  county  in  a  debt  of  seventy  thousand 
dollars  to  secure  the  location  of  the  institution  here*.  That  act  of 


MLn-ey  was  president  of  the  State  Teachers'  Association,  and  editor  of  its  "organ"  at 


the  time. 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  231 

theirs  required  a  high  degree  of  moral  courage,  and  entitles  them  to 
a  seat  on  the  upper  bench  at  the  head  of  the  table,  along  with  Jesse 
Fell.  But  even  these  men  must  consent  to  a  division  of  the  honors. 
Back  of  them  stood  the  people  of  Bloomington  with  their  subscrip- 
tion paper.  Without  this  paper,  Jesse  Fell  and  the  County  Court 
would  have  had  "to  throw  up  the  sponge"  and  yield  gracefully,  no 
doubt,  to  Peoria. 

Nor  did  Asahel  Gridley  risk  any  money  in  loans  for  erecting  the 
building,  though  my  friend,  Colonel  Roe,  gives  him  credit  for  making 
advances.  True,  Colonel  Gridley  furnished  some  money  for  that 
purpose,  but  not  a  dollar  came  over  the  counter  of  his  bank  until  he 
had  been  amply  secured  by  the  promissory  notes  of  citizens.  Such 
men  as  S.  W.  Moulton,  Jesse  and  Kersey  Fell,  Charles  and  Richard 
Holder,  Edwin  C.  Hewett,  Joseph  A.  Sewall,  Charles  E.  Hovey,  and 
others  whom  I  do  not  at  this  moment  recall,  signed  the  notes.  The 
banker  risked  nothing,  and  lost  nothing,  but  gained  interest.  The 
men  who  signed  the  notes  took  the  risk.  '  But  the  merchants  of 
Bloomington  stand  on  a  different  footing.  They  did  take  risk.  They 
gave  the  contractor  for  erecting  the  building,  Mr.  Soper,  credit,  to  a 
large  amount  in  the  aggregate,  with  no  other  security  than  my 
promise  to  see  them  paid  whenever  there  was  anything  to  pay  with. 
They  trusted  the  enterprise,  and,  to  that  extent,  risked  their 
advances,  and  I  take  liberty  to  invite  them  to  a  seat  on  a  bench  a 
little  higher  up  than  the  banker's  pew. 

I  must  not  leave  this  subject  without  naming  the  committee  of 
the  Board  under  whose  supervision  this  edifice  was  erected.  They 
were  Hon.  S.  W.  Moulton,  chairman;  Hon.  C.  B.  Denio,  Dr.  George 
P.  Rex,  Hon.  N.  W.  Edwards,  Hon.  William  H.  Powell,  Prof. 
Daniel  Wilkins,  and  Charles  E.  Hovey. 

Mr.  Chairman,  if  you  have  been  listening  to  me,  I  think  you  are 
beginning  to  see  that  a  goodly  number  of  people  have  been  engaged, 
at  one  time  or  another,  in  one  way  or  another,  in  founding  this  great 
school,  and  in  building  its  house.  Nor  did  one  man  make  its  course 
of  study,  nor  plan  and  limit  its  scope,  nor  give  to  the  work  so 
mapped  out  that  impulse  which  has  thus  far  swept  over,  or  brushed 
aside,  all  adverse  obstacles.  True,  there  was  at  first,  as  there  has 
been  since  and  must  continue  to  be,  a  head.  Somebody  must  decide 
and  direct,  and  the  questions  at  the  outset  of  any  enterprise, 
which  clamor  for  settlement,  are  often  numerous,  and  generally 
important.  But  the  first  principal  was  not  left  to  solve  these 
problems  unaided.  In  addition  to  C.  M.  Cady,  Dr.  E.  R.  Roe,  and 
Rev.  L.  P.  Glover,  special  instructors,  and  Charlton  T.  Lewis, 
Samuel  Willard,  Chauncey  Nye,  and  Miss  B.  M.  Cowles,  employed 
from  time  to  time,  any  or  all  of  whom  he  could  call  upon  for  informa- 
tion and  counsel, — I  say,  in  addition  to  these,  the  first  principal  had 
the  good  fortune  to  have  associated  with  him,  as  co-laborers,  Ira 


232  HISTORY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

Moore,  Leander  H.  Potter,  Edwin  C.  Hewett,  and  Joseph  A.  Sewall. 
A  principal  surrounded  by  such  men  need  not  set  up  for  himself,  or 
put  on  airs,  or  assume  that  he  is  the  only  considerable  person  on  the 
premises.  They  were  the  peers  of  anybody  in  the  profession.  The 
principal  had  the  benefit  of  their  knowledge  and  experience,  in 
determining  the  course  to  be  pursued,  and  in  formulating  work  to  be 
done.  These  men  made  their  mark  on  the  school.  I  should  not 
wonder  if  it  could  be  pointed  out  even  now.  But  they  did  not  make 
the  school  what  it  is  now.  Presidents  Bass  and  Edwards,  and  their 
associates,  came  later,  it  is  true,  but  they  served  longer,  and  with  no 
doubtful  success.  The  proofs  are  all  around  me  to-night.  Their 

food  deeds  have  been  recorded,  and  were  read  to  you  this  morning, 
do  not  see  how  anybody  can  wipe  out  that  record,  and  it  is  one  on 
which  they  can  afford  to  stand.  But  even  these  men  and  women 
must  be  content  with  having  done  a  part.  They  did  not  do  every- 
thing. After  them  came  President  Hewett  and  his  associates,  who 
are  moving  forward,  bearing  aloft  the  old  banner,  inscribed  with 
mottoes  indicating  reliance  upon  plain,  unpretentious,  common-school 
work.  I  believe  they  are  conducting  this  great  school  with  judgment 
and  efficiency.  I  know  Edwin  Hewett  ranks  high  among  the  Normal- 
school  teachers  of  America.  But  neither  Hovey,  nor  Bass,  nor 
Edwards,  nor  Hewett,  nor  all  of  them  and  their  associates  combined, 
have  made  this  institution  what  it  has  grown  to  be.  I  will  throw  in 
the  Board  of  Education,  Father  Roots,  and  all,  and  still  I  say  there 
is  an  omission.  The  students  must  be  added.  They  have  carried  the 
Normal  University  to  a  thousand  school  rooms  all  over  the  State,  and 
have  taught  its  classes  there.  I  look  upon  them  as  non-resident  pro- 
fessors. They  have  played  no  inconsiderable  part  in  the  work  of  the 
institution.  I  have  not  attempted  to  keep  track  of  them,  and  what  I 
happen  to  know  has  come  to  me  incidentally.  But  right  before  mes  its 
a  well-known  man  who  has  been  in  charge  of  Decatur's  public  schools 
for  _  twenty  years ;  this  morning  a  paper  was  read  from  a  professor  in 
California's  Normal  School;  a  moment  ago  a  soldier,  as  well  as 
teacher,  addressed  you;  "shake,"  comes  over  the  wires  from  the 
head  school  man  in  Denver;  in  front  of  me  sits  a- citizen  who,  in 
addition  to  teaching,  has  twice  represented  his  district  in  Congress; 
to  my  left  sits  a  lady  who  for  some  years  has  been  superintendent  of 
public  schools  in  Bloomington.  A  few  years  ago,  at  the  reunion  of 
the  society  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  in  Chicago,  a  note  was 
handed  in  to  me,  signed  by  a  familiar  name.  I  went  out,  and  there 
met  a  remarkable  woman  in  looks  and  attainments,  a  physician  and 
professor  of  physiology  in  the  Woman's  College.  I  must  not  detain 
you  by  further  recitals.  All  these,  and  a  thousand  more,  are  your 
boys  and  girls.  They  are  the  links  in  the  silver  chain  that  binds'  this 
school  to  the  common  schools  of  the  State.  But  I  must  stop.  I  beg 
pardon  for  detaining  you  so  long. 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  233 

Dr.  Edwards  told  "How  the  building  was  filled,"  and  Dr.  Hewett 
%k  Ilow.it  is  kept  full."  Hon.  Thomas  F.  Mitchell,  the  staunch  friend  of 
the  school  in  the  Legislature,  told  "Where  we  get  our  munitions  of 
wiir."1  He  was  followed  by  Hon.  Charles  T.  Strattan,  the  member  of 
the  house  from  Mt.  Yernon.  "The  Normal  University  abroad,"  was 
responded  to  by  E.  J.  James,  Ph.  D.  In  the  course  of  his  remarks 
he  read  an  extract  from  Geschichte  der  Paedagogik,  von  Karl  Schmidt, 
which  appears  upon  a  later  page  of  this  volume. 

Letters  expressing  regrets  for  unavoidable  absence  were  read  from 
Senator  Logan,  Senator  Davis,  Governor  Cullom,  Prof.  E.  W.  Coy, 
Prof.  Burlington,  Miss  Emaline  Dryer,  Dr.  Sewall,  Perkins  Bass, 
Mrs.  W.  L.  Pillsbury,  George  Howland,  Superintendent  Chicago 
Schools;  S.  H.  Peabody,  Regent  Industrial  University,  and  Hon.  D. 
C.  Smith,  M.  C.  Thirteenth  District.  Aaron  Gove,  of  1861,  tele- 
graphed: "Classmates  of  '58,  shake!"  The  following  letters  were 
also  read : 

SPRINGFIELD,  August  25,  1882. 
PROF.  JOHN  W.  COOK,  Normal. 

Dear  Sir:  Your  kind  invitation  reached  me  this  morning.  I 
am  very  sorry  that  I  did  not  know  of  your  meeting  sooner ;  but  it  is 
impossible  for  me  to  go  now.  You  will  undoubtedly  have  a  grand, 
good  time,  and  my  sincere  desire  is  that  the  Normal  school  may  pros- 
per still  more  in  the  future  than  it  has  in  the  past.  Its  growth  and 
success  have  been  great  so  far,  but  it  has  its  work  still  to  do  for  the 
good  of  the  schools  of  the  State.  There  is  no  agency  in  existence 
that  has  done  so  much  for  the  elevation  of  the  schools  as  the  Normal 
University,  and  my  wish  is  that  it  may  continue  the  good  work  for 
\cars  to  come.  As  you  all  know,  I  have  been  an  advocate  and  friend 
from  the  start,  and  shall  continue  to  do  all  I  can  in  the  future  for  the 
continuance  of  the  school.  There  have  been  in  the  past  many  good, 
hard-working  men  and  women  connected  with  the  school,  as  there  are 
at  present,  who  will  never  be  forgotten  by  the  people  of  this  great. 
State.  The  first  president,  General  Hovey,  deserves  especial  mention 
for  the  noble  work  he  did  in  the  start.  Many  of  the  students  from 
the  Normal  have  done  good,  noble  work  in  various  sections  of  our 
State,  and  we  all  hope  to  see  this  school  not  only  continue,  but  to 
increase  year  after  year.  Remember  me  to  General  Hovey  and 
others,  and  accept  my  best  wishes.  Yours  Truly, 

S.  M.  ETTER. 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS,  August  23,  1882. 
JOHN  W.  COOK,  Corresponding  Secretary. 

Dear  Sir:  I  am  in  receipt  of  your  kind  invitation  to  attend  the 
quarter-centennial  celebration  of  the  alumni  of  the  State  Normal 
University.  In  replv  would  say  that  family  sickness  prevents  my  being 
present  with  you.  Were  it  possible,  nothing  would  afford  me  greater 


234  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

pleasure  than  to  join  in  your  festivities,  and  meet  again  some  of  the 
old  friends  and  active  workers  who  were  the  founders  of  that  excellent 
institution,  —  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University.  The  old  workers 
and  the  new  workers  all  have  my  heart's  good  will.  May  God  bless 
and  prosper  any  agency  that  elevates  and  blesses  humanity.  "With 
kind  regards  for  yourself  and  all  educators,  I  am, 

Yours  very  sincerely,  JOHN  F.  EBERHART. 


CARBONDALE,  ILLINOIS,  August  22, 
PROF.  JOHN  "W.  COOK,  State  Normal  University. 

Sir:  Your  very  kind  and  cordial  invitation  to  me,  asking  me  to 
be  present  and  enjoy  the  twenty  -fifth  anniversary  of  the  State  Normal 
University,  was  received  a  few  days  ago.  I  should  have  replied  at 
once,  but  for  the  fact  that  I  was  under  a  promise  to  do  a  little  institute 
work  in  Pope  county  during  this  week,  which  I  was  then  hoping  to  be 
permitted  to  turn  over  to  another.  That  is  found  Impossible,  and  I 
am  therefore,  at  this  late  moment,  obliged  to  send  my  regrets  for  an 
enforced  absence,  on  account  of  a  previously-made  engagement.  I  am 
not  able  in  words  to  convey  my  feelings  of  disappointment,  for  I  know 
how  much  of  interest  centers  around  your  noble  pioneer  Normal,  and 
how  large  and  enthusiastic  a  body  of  graduates,  students  and  friends  of 
education  and  virtue  are  rejoicing  at  your  quarter  of  a  century  of  suc- 
cess. It  would  have  done  me  good,  body,  soul,  mind  and  spirit,  to 
have  been  with  you,  if  only  for  an  hour,  to  drink  in  new  life  and 
inspiration  from  the  rehearsal  of  your  noble  history,  and  from  the 
inspiring  prospects  before  your  grand  University.  But  it  may  not  be. 
I  can  only  add,  "May  the  first  Normal  University  of  Illinois'  continue 
first  in  war  against  ignorance,  first  in  the  peace  which  intelligence 
brings,  and  first  in  the  memories  of  a  grateful  people."  But  let  her 
remember  that  she  must  "run,"  if  she  shall  "obtain"  so  great  a 
boon,  until  her  second  quarter-centennial,  for  there  is  another  child  of 
the  State,  born  and  growing  up,  to  do  what  she  can. 

1  am  very  respectfully  and  obediently  your  servant, 

ROBERT  ALLY  \. 

SPRIXUFIKLD,  ILLINOIS,  August  25,  18S2. 
PROF.  E.  C.  HEVVETT,  President  State  Normal  University. 

My  Dear  Sir:  Deprived  of  the  pleasure  of  attending  your  cele- 
bration to-day,  I  write  this  line  to  say  that  I  am  with  you  in  spirit,  and 
that  I  very  much  regret  I  cannot  also  be  with  you  in  person.  I  have 
watched  with  much  interest  the  work  of  the  State  Normal  University, 
from  the  time  of  its  establishment  twenty-five  years  ago  until 
the  present  time.  Early  in  its  history  I  became  satisfied  that  it  did 
thoroughly  and  well  what  it  attempted  and  professed  to  do;  and  I  have 
long  been  of  the  opinion  that  the  thoroughness  with  which  work  is 
done  in  the  school  has  done  much  to  improve  the  character  of  the 
instruction  given  in  other  schools;  that  the  influence  of  the  school, 


STATE   NORMAL  UNIVERSITY. 

directly  through  its  students  and  graduates,  and  indirectly  by  its 
example,  is  felt  throughout  the  whole  State  in  the  improvement  of  the 
teaching  done  in  its  schools. 

The  friends  of  education  in  Illinois  are  to  be  congratulated  upon 
having  succeeded  in  securing  the  maintenance,  for  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury, of  so  good  a  school  for  the  training  of  teachers.  May  its 
influence  for  good  to  the  schools  of  the  State  be  augmented  and  long 
continued.  Hastily,  but  very  truly  yours, 

JAMES  P.  SI.ADK. 

CHICAGO,  August  10,  1882. 

rloii.v  W.  COOK,  ESQ.,  Corresponding  Secretary  Alumni  Association. 
Dear  Sir:  Accept  my  thanks  for  your  kind  invitation  to  attend 
the  quarter-centennial  of  your  association.  I  regret  to  say  that  I  find 
it  impracticable  to  be  present  on  that  occasion.  I  should  like  to  meet 
once  more  with  those  who  stood  "shoulder  to  shoulder"  twenty -five 
years  ago  and  struck  out  boldly  for  a  higher  plane  of  education  in  this 
State,  and  to  enjoy  with  them  in  the  retrospect  what  we  then  so  much 
enjoyed  in  the  prospect.  Our  anticipations  have  been  fully  realized; 
a  glorious  victory  has  been  won,  and  Illinois  to-day  stands  proudly 
among  the  foremost  States  of  the  Union  in  her  system  of  popular 
education.  And  now,  my  young  friends,  men  and  women  of  a  new 
generation,  hold  fast  to  the  ground  that  has  already  been  gained; 
strike  out  again;  aim  still  higher;  meet  worthily  the  responsibilities 
that  rest  upon  you;  let  the  next  twenty-five  years  witness  still  greater 
progress  toward  perfectkm,  and  you  will  have  for  your  reward  the 
consciousness  that  you  are  imitating  the  example  of  him  who  "went 
about  doing  good,"  and  the  thanks  of  the  generations  that  are  to 
follow.  Yours  truly,  "W.  H.  "Wi:i.i>. 

At  the  close  of  the  exercises,  General  Hovey  arose  and  stated  that 
it  had  been  his  pleasure  to  attend  a  good  many  banquets  at  one  time 
and  another,  but  that  he  had  never  seen  one  in  which  the  arrange- 
ments were  more  complete  nor  in  better  taste.  This  opinion  was 
evidently  the  sentiment  of  all  present,  as  it  was  received  with  loud 
applause.  At  eleven  o'clock,  after  rive  hours  of  solid  enjoyment,  the 
formal  part  of  the  exercises  closed,  and  the  quarter-centennial  celebra- 
tion passed  into  history.  Many  lingered  an  hour  longer  saying  good- 
byes. 

All  agreed  that  the  celebration  was  an  unqualified  success.  The 
early  trains  on  Saturday  bore  away  most  of  the  visitors,  and  the  in-ti- 
tution  settled  down  again  to  the  routine  duties  that  have  made  it  what 
it  is.  There  was-  a  general  desire  expressed  that  a  similar  meeting 
should  be  held  at  least  as  often  as  once  in  three  or  four  years,  and 
there  is  no  doubt  that  at  least  as  early  as  the  thirtieth  anniversary  there 
will  be  a  gathering  that  will  surpass  the  meeting  of 


236  HISTORY    OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

THE  STATE  LABORATORY  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY. 


BY    S.  A.  FORBES. 

The  long  and  close  association  of  the  establishment  now  known 
as  the  State  Laboratory  of  Natural  History  with  the  Normal  Univer- 
sity, and  the  influence  continuously  exerted  by  it  upon  the  pupils  of 
the  Normal  School,  and  upon  the  teachers  and  pupils  of  the  State  at 
large,  make  it  proper  that  a  history  of  the  Normal  University  should 
contain  some  account  of  the  origin  and  development  of  the  labora- 
tory. The  history  of  the  latter  institution  has  been  one,  not  only  of 
growth,  but  of  metamorphosis,  also.  Commencing  as  the  museum  of 
a  natural  history  society,  it  was  afterwards  transferred  to  the  State, 
and  served  for  a  time  the  purpose  of  a  state  museum,  but  was  finally 
converted  into  a  natural  history  laboratory,  made  a  center  of  opera- 
tions and  a  source  of  supply  for  the  State  at  large,  but  relieved 
from  the  necessity  of  maintaining  a  public  display  of  specimens. 
While  by  far  the  most  extended  and  useful  part  of  its  work  has  been 
done  since  its  conversion  into  a  laboratory,  its  actual  beginning  dates 
from  the  time  of  the  formation  of  the  old  State  Natural  History 
Society  of  Illinois,  an  organization  which  had  its  origin  in  the  same 
general  progressive  impulse  which  gave  rise  to  the  Normal  Vniver- 
sity.  The  first  public  movement  for  the  formation  of  this  society 
resulted  from  a  discussion  of  the  subject  had  at  a  meeting  of  the 
State  Teachers'  Association,  held  at  Deditur,  in  December,  1857. 
The  society  was  actually  organized  at  a  convention  held  in  Bloom- 
ington  on  the  thirtieth  of  June,  1858.  Prof.  J.  B.  Turner,  of 
Jacksonville,  was  chosen  the  first  president;  Dr.  E.  R.  Roe,  of 
Bloomington,  treasurer;  Gen.  Charles  E.  Hovey,  then  principal  of 
the  State  Normal  University,  secretary;  and  C.  D.  Wilbur,  general 
agent.  Letters  of  congratulation  were  read  from  most  of  the  working 
naturalists  of  the  State  who  were  not  present  in  person,  and  the  new 
organization  set  out  with  every  assurance  of  an  active  and  useful 
life.  This  promise  was  abundantly  fulfilled  for  several  years.  The 
annual  meetings  steadily  increased  in  numbers  and  interest,  and  the 
work  carried  forward  became  of  continually  higher  character,  as 
shown  by  the  papers  contributed  and  by  the  large  collection  of  speci- 
mens accumulated.  These  specimens  were  placed  in  rooms  of  the 
State  Normal  University,  especially  set  aside  for  the  use  of  the 
society  by  the  Board  of  Education. 

The  scope  and  character  of  the  scientific  work  fostered  by  the 
society  may  be  inferred  from  the  following  partial  list  of  the  papers 
read  at  its  various  meetings: 

By  Prof.  J.  B.  Turner,  of  Jacksonville,  "On  Microscopic 
Insects"  and  "The  Great  Avalanche  of  the  Ocean;"  by  Dr.  F. 
Brendel,  of  Peoria,  "Forests  and  Forest  Trees,"  "Meteorology  in 


STATE   NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  237 

connection  with  Botanical  Investigation,"  "On  the  Peculiar  Growth 
of  the  Water  Lily  (Nelumbiuni  Luteum,  Willd.),"  "Additions  to 
Robert  Kennicott's  Catalogue  of  the  Flora  of  Illinois,"  "Meteoro- 
logical Table,"  and  "Trees  and  Shrubs  of  Illinois;"  by  Dr.  George 
Vasey  (now  botanist  of  the  agricultural  department  at  Washington), 
"The  Mosses  of  Illinois,"  "Catalogue  of  Illinois  Flora,  with  Three 
Hundred  and  Eleven  Recent  Additions,"  "Pernicious  Weeds," 
"Range  of  Arborescent  Vegetation, "  and  "Additions  to  Illinois 
Flora;"  by  Prof.  Cyrus  Thomas,  afterwards  State  Entomologist, 
"Orthoptera  of  Illinois,"  "Notes  on  Illinois  Insects,"  "Catalogue 
of  the  Mammals  of  Illinois,"  and  "Plan  of  a  Natural  History 
Survey;"  by  B.  D.  Walsh,  the  first  State  Entomologist,  "Insect 
Life"  and  "Fire  Blight;"  by  Dr.  E.  R.  Roe,  of  Bloomington, 
"Some  Features  of  the  t)rift  Formation;"  by  Hon.  James  Shaw, 
of  Mt.  Carroll,  "The  Great  Tornado  of  I860;"  by  C.  D.  Wilbur, 
"Mastodon  Giganteus"  and  "Fuel  in  Illinois;"  by  Richard  H. 
Holder,  of  Bloomington  (now  of  Freeport),  "Directions  for  Collect- 
ing and  Preserving  Specimens  in  Ornithology,"  and  "A  Catalogue  of 
the  Birds  of  Illinois." 

Most  of  these  papers,  with  several  others  of  similar  character, 
were  published  in  the  State  agricultural  reports,  notably  in  the  third 
and  fourth  volumes,  and  many  of  them  were  reprinted  in  1862  by 
the  society  in  the  form  of  a  volume  of  transactions. 

The  principal  donations  of  specimens  made  by  members  were 
those  of  Illinois  birds,  by  R.  H.  Holder;  of  Illinois  fossils,  by  C.  D. 
Wilbur ;  of  fresh-water  shells  and  southern  fossils,  by  J.  W.  Powell, 
and  a  tine  series  of  Illinois  plants,  by  Dr.  George  Vasey. 

The  society  was  formally  chartered  by  the  Legislature,  February 
22,  1862.  The  museum  was  at  first  supported  by  contributions  of 
members  and  the  regular  income  of  the  society,  but  as  the  collections 
increased  in  size  and  Importance,  the  expense  of  caring  for  them 
became  too  onerous  a  burden  for  the  small  membership  of  the 
society,  and  the  aid  of  the  State  was  invoked.  By  section  four  of 
"An  Act  concerning  the  Board  of  Education  and  the  Illinois  Natural 
History  Society,"  approved  February  28,  1867,  an  annual  appropria- 
tion of  $2,500  was  made  for  the  salary  of  a  curator  and  the  improve- 
ment of  the  museum,  and  it  was  provided  that  this  money  should  be 
expended  under  the  direction  of  the  Board  of  Education,  by  whom, 
with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  directors  of  the  Natural  History 
Society,  said  curator  should  be  appointed.  Under  this  act,  Prof.  John 
W.  Powell,  now  in  charge  of  the  United  States  Government  Surveys 
of  the  western  territories,  was  appointed  curator,  March  30,  1867, 
and  immediately  prepared  for  an  expedition  to  the  valley  of  the 
Colorado  River  of  the  West.  Appropriations  were  made  for  the 
expenses  of  his  party  by  the  State  Board  of  Education,  the  State 
Industrial  University,  and  the  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 


16 


238  HISTORY   OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

Collections  of  mineral's,  fossils,  plants,  insects,  birds,  arid  mammals, 
were  made  along  his  route  from  Council  Bluffs  to  Denver,  and  thence 
to  the  canon  of  the  South  Platte,  Pike's  Peak,  and  the  head  waters 
of  the  Colorado,  and  this  material  was  divided,  at  least  in  part, 
among  the  institutions  sharing  the  "principal  expense  of  the  trip.  In 
the  following  year,  Prof.  Powell  undertook  a  more  elaborate  explora- 
tion of  the  Colorado  River,  in  behalf  of  which  an  appropriation  had 
been  made  by  Congress,  and  $1,000  had  been  voted  by  the  Board 
from  the  income  of  the  museum.  Prof.  Powell  spent  the  next  four 
years  chiefly  in  the  western  territories  in  the  further  prosecution  of 
his  explorations,  the  principal  expense  of  which  is  understood  to 
have  been  borne  by  the  general  government.  The  affairs  of  the 
museum  were  in  the  meantime  administered  by  acting  curators  in 
his  pay.  The  appropriation  of  $2,500. per  annum  made  by  the 
Legislature  in  aid  of  the  Natural  History  Society  had  been  continued 
regularly  up  to  this  time,  under  the  original  conditions,  but  by 
an  act  approved  April  14,  1871,  this  appropriation  was  made  subject 
to  the  condition  that  the  collections,  cases,  etc.,  of  the  State  Natural 
History  Society,  then  in  the  museum,  should  be  made  over  to  the 
State  in  such  a  way  as  should  be  satisfactory  to  the  Governor.  In 
accordance  with  this  act,  the  transfer  was  authorized  by  the  society, 
as  is  shown  by  the  following  transcript  from  its  records: 

"BLOOMINGTON,  ILLINOIS,  June  22,  1871. 

"The  Illinois  State  Natural  History  Society  met,  pursuant  to 
adjournment,  at  the  office  of  the  city  superintendent  of  schools,  Vice- 
President  Etter  in  the  chair. 

"On  motion  of  R.  H.  Holder,  J.  A.  Sewall  was  delegated  as  the 
agent  of  the  society  to  transfer  to  the  State  Board  of  Education,  for 
the  use  and  benefit  of  the  State,  the  collections  in  the  museum,  and 
other  property  belonging  to  the  Illinois  State  Natural  History 
Society,  unconditionally." 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  instrument  executed  by  J.  A. 
Sewall,  as  agent  of  the  society: 

"WHEREAS,  The  State  Natural  History  Society,  at  a  meeting  held 
in  the  city  of  Bloomington,  and  State  of  Illinois,  on  the  twenty- 
second  day  of  June,  1871,  appointed  the  undersigned  agent  for  said 
society,  to  assign  and  transfer  all  the  property  of  said  society  to  the 
Board  of  Education  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  in  pursuance  of  the 
resolutions  of  said  society;  therefore,  by  virtue  of  said  authority, 
said  Natural  History  Society  hereby  assigns  and  transfers  all  its 
property  of  every  kind,  now  in  the  Normal  University  building,  to 
the  said  Board  of  Education  forever. 

This  twenty-eighth  day  of  June,  1871. 

THE  STATE  NATURAL  HISTORY  SOCIETY. 

[SIGNED.]  By  JOSEPH  A.  SEWALL,  Agent." 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  239 

This  conveyance  was  accepted  by  the  following  resolution  of  the 
Board  of  Education,  extracted  from  the  proceedings  of  their  meeting 
held  June  28  and  29,  1871: 

"WHEREAS,  The  Illinois  State  Natural  History  Society  did,  on  the 
twenty-second  day  of  June,  1871,  by  formal  resolution,  determine 
and  agree  to  transfer  to  the  State  of  Illinois  all  the  right  and  interest 
of  said  society  in  and  to  the  property  of  the  museum  in  the  Normal 
University  building,  and  did  also  then  and  there  appoint  and 
empower  Joseph  A.  Sewall,  as  agent,  to  convey  said  resolution  into 
effect;  and, 

WHEREAS,  In  pursuance  of  said  resolution  and  authorization,  the 
said  Joseph  A.  Sewall  did,  on  the  twenty-eighth  day  of  June,  1871, 
execute  and  deliver  a  conveyance  of  said  property  to  the  Board  of 
Education  in  trust  for  the  State  of  Illinois;  now,  therefore,  be  it 

Resolved,  That  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  State  of  Illinois 
do  hereby  accept  the  said  conveyance,  and  take  possession  of  the 
property  therein  conveyed,  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  the  State  of 
Illinois." 

During  the  year  following  this  transfer,  Dr.  George  Yasey,  then 
acting  curator,  made  large  botanical  collections  in  various  parts  of 
the  State,  and  added  several  hundred  specimens  to  the  museum 
herbarium  from  his  large  private  collection.  Specimens  of  fossils, 
minerals,  woods,  etc., •  were  also  obtained,  and  sets  of  minerals, 
geological  specimens,  woods,  plants,  and  shells,  were  distributed  to 
twelve  of  the  principal  public  schools  of  the  State. 

On  the  twenty- eighth  of  June,  1872,  the  resignation  of  Prof. 
Powell  was  offered  and  accepted,  and  on  the  saine  day,  Mr.  S.  A. 
Forbes  was  appointed  to  succeed  him.  A  careful  estimate  of  the 
contents  of  the  museum  was  made  at  this  time,  with  the  following 
result: 

Minerals,  1,500  specimens,  ....  300  species 
Plants,  9,000  specimens,            ....    3,000  species 

Shells,  5,000  specimens,  .            .            .           .  »       958  species 

Fossils,  5,000  specimens,            .            .            .  .    1,200  species 

Insects.  2,500  specimens,  ....  1,500  species 

Birds,  200  specimens,      .            .            .            .  .191  species 

Mammals,  30  specimens,  .           .            .            .  26  species 

After  the  transfer  of  the  museum  to  the  State,  no  formal  declara- 
tion of  the  views  of  the  Board  of  Education  concerning  its  relations 
and  their  intentions  with  respect  to  it  was  ever  made,  until  the 
following  resolutions  were  passed,  December  15,  1875;  but  as  these 
resolutions  simply  embodied  the  settled  policy  of  the  Board,  in 
accordance  with  which  the  museum  had  been  governed  from  the  first, 
they  may  be  properly  introduced  here: 

' -WHEREAS,  Since  the  control  of  the  museum  of  the  Illinois  State 
Natural  History  Society  was  transferred  to  the  State  Board  of  Educa- 
tion, no  general  declaration  has  ever  been  made  by  this  Board  of  the 


240  HISTORY    OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

relations  and  policy  of  the  museum,  or  of  the  purposes  of  the  Board 
concerning  it;  and, 

"WHEREAS,  It  seems  desirable  that  the  students  and  friends  of 
science  should  know  definitely  and  authoritatively  the  nature,  scope, 
and  promise  of  the  work  of  said  museum,  in  order  that  they  may 
intelligently  cooperate  with  its  officers  for  the  promotion  of  the 
scientific  interests  of  the  State;  therefore, 

"fiesofatd,  That  we  regard  the  museum  as  a  State  institution, 
devoted  to  the  prosecution  of  a  natural  history  survey  of  the  State,  to 
the  encouragement  and  aid  of  original  research,  and  to  the  diffusion 
of  knowledge  and  habits  of  thought  among  the  people. 

"JBeeoTved,  That  we  consider  it  an  important  part  of  its  work  to 
supply  collections  of  specimens  to  the  public  schools,  as  far  as  this 
can  be  done  consistently  with  its  own  general  interests,  and  especially 
to  provide  all  needed  facilities  for  the  instruction  of  teachers  in 
natural  history,  and  in  the  most  approved  and  successful  methods  of 
teaching  the  same;  and, 

"Jtesolvedi  That  we  cordially  invite  the  cooperation  of  the 
scientists  of  Illinois,  offering  them  the  free  use  of  its  collections, 
library,  and  apparatus,  and  assuring  them  that  whatever  may  be 
contributed  to  its  cabinets  or  its  funds,  shall  be  used  faithfully  and 
impartially  for  the  advancement  of  science  throughout  the  State." 

Until  December,  1876,  the  establishment 'retained  the  obsolete 
title  of  "The  Museum  of  the  Illinois  State  Natural  History  Society;" 
but  at  that  time  the  following  resolution  was  adopted  by  the  Board: 

ujKesolved,  That  the  museum  in  the  Normal  University  building, 
formerly  the  property  of  the  Illinois  State  Natural  History  Society, 
but  now  under  the  control  of  this  Board,  be  hereafter  known  by  the 
name  of  "The  Illinois  Museum  of  Natural  History." 

The  changed  relations  of  the  museum  made  it  now  proper  that 
its  operations  should  be  confined  chiefly  within  the  limits  of  the 
State.  It  was  therefore  determined  to  put  the  large  but  disordered 
collection  into  condition  for  use  as  rapidly  as  possible,  by  classifying, 
arranging,  cataloguing,  and  indexing  the  specimens  and  the  library; 
to  give  immediate  attention  to  filling  up  the  most  important  lacunse 
in  both,  with  the  view  of  ultimately  accumulating  sufficient  material 
for  a  botanical  and  zoological  survey  of  Illinois;  to  give  much  greater 
attention  to  the  supply  of  cabinets  of  specimens  to  the  public  schools, 
and  to  encourage  and  aid,  in  every  way  that  could  be  devised,  the 
rational  study  of  nature  by  the  teachers  and  children  of  the  State j  to 
promote  original  scientific  research,  by  bringing  together  the  essential 
instrumentalities  for  its  successful  prosecution,  and  by  providing  for 
the  publication  of  its  results ;  and  to  assist  in  the  solution  of  scien- 
tific problems  bearing  upon  the  industries  of  the  people. 

The  sudden  introduction,  in  1872,  of  four  new  sciences  into  the 
common-school  course,  a  knowledge  of  which  was  required  of  candi- 


STATE   NORMAL  UNIVERSITY.  241 

dates  for  certificates,  powerfully  stimulated  the  study  of  natural 
history  throughout  the  State,  and  made  that  part  of  the  museum 
work  relating  to  the  public  schools  most  pressing  and  important, 
especially  as  it  soon  became  evident  that  the  lack  of  preparation 
upon  the  part  of  teachers  and  school  officers  for  the  new  duties  which 
the  law  imposed  upon  them,  threatened  serious  injury  to  educational 
interests,  unless  efficient  help  were  given.  Circulars  were  therefore 
issued  from  the  museum,  as  soon  as  practicable,  offering  especial 
facilities  free  of  charge  to  those  who  wished  to  fit  themselves 
thoroughly  for  work  in  the  new  field,  and  proposing  a  series  of 
mutual  exchanges  for  the  general  benefit.  While  conducting  these 
exchanges,  all  the  available  duplicates  in  the  museum  collections  were 
issued  to  the  schools  which  seemed  most  to  need  them.  In  continua- 
tion of  this  work  it  was  determined,  in  the  autumn  of  1873,  to 
attempt  the  organization  of  a  new  society  of  natural  history,  which 
should  have  for  its  leading  purpose  the  supply  of  practical  working 
collections  to  the  schools,  through  the  labor  of  the  teachers  ana 
pupils  of  the  schools  themselves.  With  this  view,  after  correspond- 
ence with  several  of  the  leading  teachers  of  the  State,  the  friends  of 
the  movement  were  invited  to  convene  at  Bloomington,  Illinois, 
during  the  session,  at  that  place,  of  the  State  Teachers'  Association, 
in  the  Christmas  holidays.  The  result  was  a  large  and  earnest 
meeting  of  teachers,  at  which,  after  an  animated  discussion,  a  consti- 
tution was  adopted,  and  the  society  formally  organized  by  the 
election  of  Dr.  Richard  Edwards,  as  president,  S.  A.  Forbes,  curator, 
and  Aaron  Gove,  secretary. 

The  purposes  of  this  society  were  declared  to  be,  to  collect, 
study,  and  exchange  specimens  in  natural  history,  to  obtain  for  the 
schools  with  which  its  members  were  connected,  suitable  cabinets  of 
specimens  for  study  and  reference,  and  to  encourage  and  assist  the 
rational  study  of  nature  by  the  pupils  of  our  schools. 

This  society  enlisted  the  teachers  and  pupils  of  more  than  forty 
of  the  colleges  and  public  schools  of  the  State,  most  of  which  did 
active  work  for  the  museum  during  the  first  two  years.  The 
duplicate  specimens  sent  in,  to  the  number  of  more  than  three 
thousand,  were  named  and  redistributed  to  these  schools,  and 
material  to  the  amount  of  about  four  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  was 
added  to  tliB  sets  from  the  museum  duplicates.  This  was  largely 
alcoholic  marine  material,  illustrating  the  sub-kingdoms,  classes,  and 
leading  orders,  representatives  of  which  are  otherwise  beyond  the 
reach  of  Illinois  schools.  A  systematic  check-list  of  these  specimens, 
for  use  in  making  exchanges,  was  published  daring  the  winter. 

Under  the  auspices  of  this  association,  a  vacation  school  of 
natural  history  was  held  in  the  museum  at  Normal,  in  July  and 
August,  1875.  Instruction  of  a  high  grade,  and  good  facilities  tor 
work  and  study,  both  elementary  and  advanced,  were  provided  in 


242  HISTORY   OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

the  following  branches:  Systematic  and  structural  botany  of  the 
flowering  plants;  cryptogamic  botany,  with  especial  reference  to 
mosses  and  fungi;  systematic  and  structural  zoology,  illustrated  by 
mounted  skeletons  and  other  preparations,  and  by  series  of  dissections 
made  by  the  students  under  the  eye  of  competent  instructors. 

A  sufficient  number  of  microscopes  was  provided  for  the  use  of 
students  in  the  study  of  histology  and  the  lower  forms  of  life. 
Marine  material  was  furnished  fresh  from  the  sea,  and  inland  speci- 
mens of  all  varieties,  in  great  abundance.  Occasional  excursions 
were  made  by  the  class  to  give  opportunity  for  field-work. 

The  following  gentlemen  acted  as  instructors  for  the  term: 
Prof.  B.  G.  Wilder,  of  Cornell  University,  New  York;  Prof.  W.  S. 
Barnard,  Ph.  D.;  Prof.  T.  J.  Burrill,  of  the  Illinois  Industrial 
University;  Prof.  Cyrus  Thomas,  State  Entomologist;  Dr.  J.  A. 
Sewall,  of  the  State  Normal  University;  and  S.  A.  Forbes. 

It  was  found  necessary  to  limit  the  attendance  to  fifty  students, 
but  within  this  limit  the  school  was  open  to  the  teachers  of  the 
State.  Over  seventy  applications  were  received,  from  forty-two 
different  counties.  The  specimens  selected  for  study  were  typical 
ones,  and  the  dissections  and  examinations  were  so  planned  and 
conducted  that  the  chief  facts  demonstrated  were  true,  not  of  the 
species  or  genus  only,  but  of  the  whole  classes  or  sub-kingdoms,  or 
else  furnished  notable  exceptions  to  general  statements  about  these 
larger  groups. 

The  fresh  water  collections  for  study  and  dissection  were 
obtained  from  Lake  Michigan  and  the  Illinois  River,  and  the  marine 
animals  were  collected,  as  needed,  along  the  New  England  coast. 
The  laboratory  work  was  made,  throughout,  the  basis  of  the  course, 
and  the  lectures  were  designed  chiefly  to  explain  and  complete  the 
knowledge  gained  with  the  scalpel  and  the  microscope.  The  study  of 
the  anatomy  of  vertebrates  included  careful  dissections  of  Amphioxus, 
of  the  ganoid  and  common  fishes,  and  the  sharks,  and  skates;  turtles, 
serpents,  frogs,  and  salamanders;  and  birds,  and  mammals. 

Invertebrate  zoology  was  illustrated  by  dissections  of  star 
fishes,  brittle  stars,  sea  urchins,  sand  dollars,  and  sea  cucumbers; 
earth  worms,  marine  worms,  brachiopods  and  ascidians;  lobsters, 
crawfishes,  crabs,  beetles,  and  caterpillars;  the  common  river 
mussel,  several  species  of  marine  gasteropods,  and  the  com  mon 
squid.  Besides  these  dissections  of  typical  animals  by  the  class, 
many  alcoholic  preparations  and  other  specimens  were  presented  for 
their  examination. 

The  study  of  entomology  was  especially  provided  for.  The 
students  were  taught  the  characters  of  the  orders  of  insects,  and 
afforded  abundant  practice  in  the  determination  of  genera  in  the 
most  prominent  of  these. 

About  seventy  species  of  flowering  plants  were  analyzed  by  the 


STATE    NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  243 

botany  classes,  representing  some  forty  different  orders.  In  struct- 
ural and  cryptogamic  botany,  the  microscopes  were  in  constant 
use.  A  key  to  the  larger  fungi  was  compiled  by  Prof.  Burrill,  and 
about  half  the  session  was  given  to  these  important  but  difficult  and 
little  known  forms  of  vegetable  life.  The  remainder  was  devoted  to 
the  ferns,  mosses,  algse,  etc.,  and  to  the  study  of  the  structure  and 
development  of  plants.  The  students  were  incidentally  taught  to 
use  the  microscope,  to  mount  objects,  and  to  demonstrate  important 
structures  and  processes.  Considerable  work  was  also  done  in 
ornithology,  including  the  preparation  of  specimens.  The  lectures, 
thirty  in  number,  were  delivered  one  and  two  a  day,  and  were 
brought  into  close  relation  to  the  laboratory  work. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  amount  of  work  done  was  tremendous; 
and  yet  it  was  so  new,  so  varied,  and  intrinsically  so  interesting,  that 
the  students  found  themselves  refreshed  and  rested  rather  than  worn 
out,  at  the  end  of  the  term.  The  class  separated  delighted  with 
the  result  of  their  studies,  and  expressing  a  lively  desire  to  continue 
it  in  the  future. 

In  accordance  with  a  resolution  of  the  Board  of  Education, 
adopted  at  their  meeting  in  December,  1875,  measures  were  taken  to 
represent  at  the  Centennial  Exposition  of  the  year  following,  the 
work  done  by  the  museum,  for  the  benefit  of  the  schools  of  the 
State.  One  set  of  specimens  was  prepared  from  those  sent  in  by  the 
schools  connected  with  the  School  and  College  Association  of  Natural 
History,  and  another,  intended  to  illustrate  the  character  and  condi- 
tion or  the  material  issued  to  these  schools  by  way  of  distribution  , 
and  exchange,  was  made  up  from  the  museum  duplicates  then  on 
hand  for  such  use. 

Concerning  this  exhibit,  the  State  agent  says  in  his  report:  "This 
case  contained,  so  far  as  I  know,  the  only  exhibit  of  the  kind  in  the 
whole  exposition.  The  fact  that  it  was  thought  worthy  of  a  medal 
by  the  board  of  judges  is  an  indication  of  its  merits,  and  should 
afford  strong  encouragement  to  the  Society  of  Natural  History  to 
persevere  in  its  work." 

During  the  year  1875,  investigations  were  begun  upon  the  food 
of  the  birds  and  fishes  of  the  State,  and  a  paper  upon-  the  former 
subject,  giving  the  results  of  an  examination  of  the  contents  of  two 
hundred  and  twenty  stomachs,  was  published  in  the  Transactions  of 
the  Illinois  State  'Horticultural  Society  for  the  year  1875.  More 
elaborate  preparations  were  made  for  the  distribution  to  schools  and 
state  educational  institutions  of  more  or  less  complete  sets  of  speci- 
mens of  the  zoology  and  botany  of  the  State.  With  a  view  to  the 
further  development  of  work  of  this  character,- it  was  determined  to 
abandon  all  attempts  at  a  complete  exhibition  of  specimens,  to  pack 
the  material  in  the  museum  as  closely  as  was  consistent  with  its 
arrangement  for  convenient  and  ready  reference,  and  to  occupy  the 


244  HISTORY   OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

space  thus  vacated  with  tables  for  work  and  study;  thus  converting 
the  establishment  into  a  biological  laboratory  for  the  investigation  of 
natural  history  subjects.  It  was  further  proposed,  as  a  part  of  this 
plan,  to  establish  in  the  new  State  house,  at  Springfield,  a  general 
exhibit  of  the  natural  history  of  the  State,  in  connection  with  the 
collections  of  the  State  Geological  Survey ;  and  an  act  was  passed  by 
the  general  assembly,  approved  May  25,  1877,  giving  effect  to  this 
purpose. 

By  sections  8  and  9  of  the  act  it  was  directed  that  the  Illinois 
Museum  of  Natural  History,  at  Normal,  be  converted  into  a  State 
Laboratory  of  Natural  History,  at  which,  under  the  direction  of  the 
curator  thereof  the  collection,  preservation,  and  determination  of  all 
zoological  and  botanical  material  for  said  State  Museum  should  be 
done.  It  was  made  a  part  of  the  duty  of  said  curator  to  provide,  as 
soon  as  possible,  a  series  of  specimens  illustrating  the  zoology  and 
botany  of  the  State,  to  deposit  them  from  time  to  time  in  the  museum 
established  by  the  act,  and  to  furnish,  as  far  as  practicable,  all  zoolog- 
ical and  botanical  material  needed  by  the  State  educational  institutions 
for  the  proper  performance  of  their  work.  It  was  also  directed  that 
one  set  of  the  duplicate  zoological  and  botanical  specimens  then  on 
hand  in  the  Illinois  Museum  of  Natural  History,  at  Normal,  which 
were  not  needed  to  illustrate  the  natural  history  work  of  the  State 
Normal  University,  should  be  deposited,  as  soon  as  practicable,  in 
the  museum  established  by  the  act. 

At  the  next  meeting  of  the  State  Board  of  Education,  directions 
*were  given  for  the  necessary  refurnishing  and  reorganization  of  the 
rooms  and  collection,  the  title  of  the  Museum  was  changed  to  the 
"Illinois  State  Laboratory  of  Natural  History,"  and  sufficient  appro- 
priations were  made  to  carry  out  the  directions  of  the  law  in  a  liberal 
way.  About  two-thirds  of  the  room  was  cleared  of  cases,  those 
remaining  were  adapted  to  the  systematic  arrangement  of  specimens 
without  reference  to  their  display,  and  the  space  vacated  was  filled 
with  the  work  tables  and  large  cases  of  drawers. 

This  metamorphosis  and  reorganization  of  the  establishment  was 
the  turning-point  of  its  career,  and  amounted  in  fact  to  the  founding 
of  a  new  institution.  • 

The  following  brief  statement  of  its  character  and  purposes, 
extracted  from  the  report  of  its  director  for  1878,  may  therefore 
properly  be  introduced  at  this  point. 

"This  is  an  institution  whose  chief  objects  are  the  prosecution  and 
aid  of  original  work  on  the  natural  history  of  the  State  (preference 
being  given  to  subjects  having  special  educational  or  economical 
value),  the  publication  of  the  results  of  such  work  for  the  informa- 
tion of  the  people,  the  training  and  instruction  of  teachers  of  botany 
and  zoology  for  the  public  schools,  and  the  supply  of  the  necessary 
scientific  material  to  these  schools,  to  the  State  Museum,  and  to  the 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  245 

State  educational  institutions.  It  affords  a  place  to  which  any 
specialist  or  scientific  student  may  come,  with  the  assurance  that  he 
will  find  everything  necessary  for  special  study  or  original  work  on 
the  natural  history  of  Illinois,  to  which  any  teacher  may  come  for 
preparation  to  teach  these  subjects  intelligently,  and  upon  which  the 
officers  of  any  school  may  draw  for  material  to  illustrate  the  scientific 
work  of  their  school. 

"Its  operations  are  guided  by  the  conviction  that  the  spread  of  the 
knowledge  and  discipline  of  science  among  the  people  is  essential  to 
their  highest  prosperity ;  that  this  is  a  matter  of  public  rather  than 
of  personal  concern,  and  that  it  must  be  provided  for  by  public  rather 
than  by  private  measures. 

"To  encourage  the  spontaneous  and  gratuitous  labors  of  our 
scientific  men,  to  assist  them  at  least  to  the  extent  of  supplying 
them  with  such  facilities  for  work  as  are  beyond  the  reach  of  individ- 
uals, and  to  furnish  them  a  means  of  adding  the  results  of  their 
labors  to  the  common  stock  of  human  knowledge,  is  obviously  sound 
public  policy.  Without  this  class  of  workers,  devoted  to  science  for 
its  own  sake,  no  solid  and  valuable  progress  in  science  is  possible. 
From  them  comes  the  initiative,  the  incitement.  They  are  the  root 
of  the  tree  by  which  the  raw  elements  of  the  natural  world  have 
been  in  all  ages  drawn  together  and  made  ready  for  the  nourishment 
of  the  organism. 

"As  a  means  of  putting  the  people  in  possession  of  scientific 
knowledge,  museums  and  publications  are  necessary, — each  serving 
similar  ends  in  different  ways, — the  former  instructing  and  arousing 
even  the  most  ignorant  as  well  as  the  most  cultivated,  but  chiefly 
limited  in  its  influence  to  those  who  visit  it;  the  latter  reaching  a 
more  widely  diffused,  but  on  the  whole  a  better  educated  class. 
While  the  museum  conveys  instruction  through  the  eye,  and  arouses, 
by  a  representative  display  of  the  natural  history  of  the  State,  ax 
popular  interest  in  science  which  incites  to  study,  and  furnishes  a 
basis  of  support  for  the  h'gher  scientific  work,  in  the  popular 
sympathy  and  intelligence,  the  laboratory  is  needed  to  provide  ways 
and  means  by  which  this  cultured  interest  may  be  converted  into 
valuable  knowledge  and  skill,  and  this,  in  turn,  be  bestowed  upon 
the  people  through  the  press  and  the  school. 

"The  functions  of  the  museum  and  laboratory  are  too  radically 
distinct  to  be  successfully  performed  by  one  institution.  The  collec- 
tions of  the  former  are  intended  for  display;  of  the  latter,  for  study. 
The  material,  furniture,  arrangement,  and  general  equipment  of  the 
two  must  therefore  be  essentially  different. 

"It  is  also  of  great  importance  to  the  public  welfare  that  the 
methods  of  work  and  habits  of  thought  by  which  the  achievements 
of  modern  science  have  been  made,  should  be  brought  to  bear  as  far 
as  possible  upon  the  daily  life  of  all.  For  this,  trained  and  intelli- 


246  HISTORY   OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

gent  teachers  of  science  are  necessary,  able  to  comprehend  the  work 
of  specialists,  and  to  assimilate  and  adapt  it  to  the  needs  of  the  com- 
munity at  large, — able  also  to  translate  the  .spirit  and  methods  of 
science  into  the  work  of  the  school,  and  through  the  school  into  the 
pursuits  of  business  and  labor. 

"But  a  practical  knowledge  of  nature  cannot  be  imparted  by 
books,  or  by  word  of  mouth  alone.  The  distinctive  discipline  of 
science  can  only  be  got  by  the  immediate  exercise  of  the  mind  upon 
objects  and  upon  ideas  directly  derived  from  objects.  Materials  for 
study,  and  named  cabinets  as  the  standards  of  reference,  are  the 
sine  qua  non  of  work  worth  doing.  To  incite  and  reward  natural 
history  work,  nothing  has  been  found  more  effective  than  skeleton 
cabinets  of  representative  species,  which  can  afterwards  be  filled  up 
by  the  collections  of  teachers  and  pupils.  The  cost  of  these  is 
slight,  the  value  very  great.  An  easily  accessible  medium  of  mutual 
exchanges,  a  center  of  authority  to  which  difficult  questions  can  be 
referred  for  solution,  are  also  indispensable  to  success. 

"The  pressing  needs  of  these  three  classes,  specialists  in  science, 
the  teachers  and  the  pupils  of  the  public  schools,  it  is  the  principal 
function  of  the  state  laboratory  to  supply. 

"It  is  also  evident  that  the  large  collections  needed  by  the  state 
museum,  and  in  the  work  of  the  great  state  educational  institutions, 
can  be  made  more  rapidly  and  much  more  economically  by  one 
thoroughly  equipped  central  laboratory  than  by  the  separate  institu- 
tions themselves,  since  one  set  of  apparatus,  materials  and  men  can 
thus  do  the  work  which  would  otherwise  require  several.  It  is  not 
intended  to  take  from  those  institutions  any  work  of  special  educa- 
tional value,  but  to  do  for  them  in  the  least  expensive  way  what  each 
can  not  do  separately  without  considerable  special  outlay." 

To  follow  in  detail  the  various  operations  of  the  laboratory  since 
its  reorganization,  would  exceed  the  limit  of  this  brief  sketch,  and  a 
general  summary  of  the  work  accomplished  must  suffice.  Zoological 
and  botanical  collections  have  been  steadily  made  in  all  parts  of  the 
State,  with  a  view  primarily  to  accumulating  material  for  a  thorough 
zoological  and  botanical  survey  of  Illinois.  In  ornithology,  a  collec- 
tion of  two  hundred  and  fifty  species  has  been  made,  in  northeastern 
Illinois,  near  Waukegan  and  Chicago;  in  western  Illinois,  near  Gales- 
burg  and  Warsaw;  in  the  central  part  of  the  State,  at  Normal;  and 
in  Union,  Jackson,  and  Alexander  counties,  in  southern  Illinois.  A 
good  beginning  has  also  been  made  in  collecting  a  full  series  of  the 
nests  and  eggs  of  Illinois  birds. 

Insects  of  all  orders  have  been  regularly  collected  in  northern 
[llinois,  from  Galena  to  Chicago;  in  the  central  part  of  the  State, 
from  Rock  Island  to  Bloomington ;  and  in  southern  Illinois 
generally,  except  in  the  Wabash  valley.  The  entomological  cabinet 
now  contains  about  four  thousand  Illinois  species,  and  twenty  thou- 


STATE   NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  247 

sand  duplicates.  With  the  appointment  of  the  director  of  the  labor- 
atory as  State  Entomologist,  in  July,  1882,  this  department  of  the 
work  assumed  a  new  activity  and  importance. 

The  aquatic  fauna  of  the  State  has  been  studied  with  especial 
care.  The  Illinois  river  and  tributaries,  from  its  headwaters  to  its 
mouth,  have  been  thoroughly  searched,  as  well  as  the  lakes  in 
the  river  bottoms.  Rock  river  and  its  branches  have  been  less 
carefully  but  sufficiently  explored.  The  Mississippi  and  Ohio  have 
been  seined  for  weeks  at  Cairo,  and  numerous  trips  through 
southern  Illinois  have  yielded  an  excellent  collection  from  the 
lakes  and  smaller  streams  of  that  territory.  Galena  river,  in 
northwestern  Illinois,  and  the  lakes  in  the  northeast  part  of  the 
State,  have  been  exhaustively  searched  with  seine,  dredge,  and 
towing  net,  and  both  the  deep  and  shallow  waters  of  Lake  Mich- 
igan have  been  explored  with  dredge  and  trawl.  These  collections 
have  included  all  orders  of  aquatic  life,  from  fishes,  amphibians, 
and  reptiles,  to  the  microscopic  Entomostraca  and  Protozoa.  Even 
the  ponds  and  wayside  pools  have  been  searched  everywhere  for 
insects  and  minute  Crustacea.  Several  large  collections  have  also 
been  made  for  the  laboratory  on  the  coast  of  New  England,  more 
especially  for  the  supply  of  marine  forms  for  use  in  our  natural 
history  schools,  and  for  general  distribution  to  the  public  high  schools 
throughout  the  State. 

The  herbarium  of  flowering  plants  was  already  so  large,  that 
botanical  field  work  has  been  confined  chiefly  to  the  cryptogams. 
An  expert  collector  of  fungi  (Mr.  A.  B.  Seymour)  has  been  almost 
constantly  in  the  field  since  July,  1881,  and  has  sent  to  the  laboratory 
about  three  thousand  five  hundred  numbers,  aggregating  more  than 
a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  specimens.  About  three  thousand  five 
hundred  species  of  fungi  have  also  been  bought  within  this  period, 
and  eight  hundred  microscope  slides  of  parasitic  species  have  been 
mounted. 

The  laboratory  has  filled  its  function  as  a  feeder  to  the  State 
museum  by  supplying  that  institution  with  a  series  of  three  hundred 
and  twenty  species  of  mounted  Illinois  birds,  each  usually  represented 
by  male,  female,  and  young,  and  a  collection  of  sixty  species  of  eggs; 
a  good  set  of  mounted  mammals  of  species  now  occurring  in  the 
State,  or  known  to  have  occurred  here  formerly;  an  extraordinary 
series  of  about  fifty  painted  casts  of  Illinois  fishes,  together  with 
about  one  hundred  and* fifty  specimens  in  alcohol,  and  large  cabinets 
of  insects,  mollusks,  marine  specimens,  and  plants,  both  flowering 
and  cryj)to<;amous.  A  series  of  mounted  skeletons  of  mammals, 
birds,  reptiles,  amphibians  and  fishes,  has  also  been  sent  down.  To 
the  Industrial  University  and  the  Southern  Illinois  Normal,  good 
collections  of  fishes,  insects,  and  plants  have  been  given,  with  much 
miscellaneous  material.  Forty  public  high  schools  have  been  sup- 


248  HISTORY    OF   THE    ILLINOIS 

plied  with  representative  cabinets  of  fishes,  insects,  crustaceans, 
marine  animals,  and  other  objects,  aggregating  over  ten  thousand 
specimens,  and  the  material  is  now  on  hand  for  the  supply  of  about 
as  many  more.  These  cabinets  are  all  issued  under  such  conditions 
and  with  such  precautions  that  it  is  known  beforehand  that  they  are 
needed,  that  they  will  be  used,  and  that  they  will  be  properly 
cared  for. 

In  the  course  of  the  investigation  of  the  food  of  birds,  over  six 
thousand  stomachs,  representing  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  species, 
have  been  obtained,  and  about  seven  hundred  of  these  have  been  crit- 
ically and  exhaustively  studied  with  the  microscope.  The  food  of 
fishes,  both  young  and  old,  from  all  parts  of  the  State,  and  during  all 
seasons  of  the  year,  has  been  investigated  on  an  equally  elaborate 
scale.  About  two  hundred  and  fifty  insects  have  been  dissected  for  a 
study  of  the  food  of  certain  difficult  and  important  families,  and  the 
contents  of  their  alimentary  canals  mounted  as  microscopic  slides. 
The  results  of  this  work  have  been  embodied  in  papers  published  in 
the  bulletins  of  the  laboratory,  in  the  transactions  of  the  State  Horti- 
cultural Society,  in  the  American  Naturalist,  and  in  various  other 
reports  and  periodicals. 

For  the  purpose  of  making  the  work  of  the  laboratory  avail- 
able for  the  information  of  the  general  public,  a  series  of  bulle- 
tins has  been  published  and  gratuitously  distributed.  The  fourth 
in  number  was  issued  in  May,  1881,  a  fifth  is  now  in  press,  and 
a  sixth  will  be  published  during  the  coming  winter.  These  bulletins 
contain  only  original  contributions  to  a  knowledge  of  the  natural 
history  of  the  State.  Besides  papers  prepared  at  the. laboratory, 
tliey  include  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  pages  of  matter  con- 
tributed by  naturalists  not  connected  with  the  institution.  Three 
hundred  and  seventy-six  pages  have  thus  far  been  printed,  and  about 
two  hundred  more  will  be  added  this  winter.  Among  the  more 
important  papers  are  an  annotated  catalogue  of  the  birds  of  Illin- 
ois; elaborate  reports  on  the  food  of  the  thrush  family  and  the 
bluebird ;  complete  catalogues  of  the  fishes  of  the  State,  with  studies 
of  the  food  of  old  and  young;  a  descriptive  catalogue  of  the  reptiles 
and  amphibians  of  the  United  States  east  of  the  Kocky  mountains, 
with  a  list  of  Illinois  species;  papers  on  the  food  of  predaceous 
insects;  a  descriptive  list  of  the  Crustacea  of  Illinois;  a  list  of  our 
mosses,  liverworts,  and  lichens,  and  various  papers  on  Illinois  fungi. 

The  library  has  grown  in  the  meantime  from  a  small  and  ill- 
assorted  set  of  books,  to  a  carefully  selected  collection  of  1,200  vol- 
umes, and  about  1,000  pamphlets  on  natural  history.  A  card  catalogue 
of  authors  is  now  complete,  and  a  subject  catalogue  well  under  way. 

Mention  should  also  be  made  of  a  second  natural  history  school, 
held  in  July,  IS 78,  similar  to  that  more  fully  described  above,  and 
equally  successful  in  all  respects. 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  249 

From  a  movement  initiated  at  this  school,  sprang  a  second  State 
jSTatural  History  Society,  organized  in  December,  1878,  of  which  the 
director  of  the  laboratory  has  been  secretary  from  the  first.  Tins 
society  holds  semi-annual  meetings, — one  in  June  for  Held  work,  and 
one  in  February  for  the  reading  and  discussion  of  papers.  It  is  an 
active  and  flourishing  organization,  and  gives  every  indication  of  a 
long  and  useful  life.  The  educational  value  of  the  establishment  is 
greatly  enhanced  by  the  fact  that  all  its  material  and  appliances  are 
"free  fur  the  use  of  such  special  students  of  science  as  wish  to  push 
their  studies  independently.  Many  capable  teachers  of  science,  and 
several  promising  young  naturalists,  have  found  here  the  means  of 
entering  upon  their  careers,  or  of  adding  largely  to  their  resources. 

And  so  the  State  Laboratory  of  Natural  History,  embodying  the 
earnest  and  devoted  labors  of  many  whose  names  have  found  no 
place  in  this  brief  record,  has  grown  and  developed  with  the  steadily 
increasing  wealth  and  intelligence  of  this  great  State,  by  a  slow  and 
healthy  enlargement  of  its  field  and  building  up  of  its  power,  until 
to-day  it  stands  unique  among  all  the  state  institutions  of  America. 
Its  work  will  not  be  done  until  the  life  of  the  great  and  varied  region 
which  its  operations  cover,  is  known  in  all  its  forms  and  details,  and 
understood  as  a  whole, — until  the  general  system  of  laws  by  which 
this  complex  aggregate  of  living  things  is  unified  and  governed, 
has  been  mastered  and  made  known.  It  is  properly  only  at  the 
real  beginning  of  its  career, — now  first  actually  equipped  for  system- 
atic and  effective  service.  Its  prime  and  essential  function  is  not  to 
do  that  which  has  been  done  before,  nor  even  to  teach  that  which  is 
already  known,  but  to  push  forward  the  bounds  of  human  knowledge 
along  certain  special  lines,  and  to  apply  the  knowledge  gained  to  the 
welfare  of  tlfb  people  of  the  State.  Its  office  is  to  enlarge  that 
knowledge  and  mastery  of  nature  which  distinguishes  the  civilized 
man  from  the  savage,  and  the  support  which  it  receives  is  to  be 
regarded  as  a  contribution  to  human  progress. 


FURTHER  IMPROVEMENTS. 


The  foregoing  article  shows  the  development  of  the  work  in 
natural  history  during  the  last  few  years.  But,  in  the  mean  time, 
other  departments  have  been  increasing  their  facilities  and  changing 
their  methods  of  work. 

AVhen  Dr.  Sewall  left  the  school  to  take  charge  of  the  Colorado 
State  University,  in  1*77,  he  was  succeeded  by  M.  L.  Seymour,  of 
Blue  Island.  1'his  gentleman  had  already  won  considerable  reputation 
on  account  of  his  skill  in  devising  simple,  apparatus  to  illustrate  the 
work  in  the  natural  sciences.  Under  his  management,  a  change  has 


250  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

been  effected  in  the  appearance  of  the  lecture  room  and  chemical 
laboratory  that  would  astonish  the  "old-timers."  A  steam  pump  that 
had  outlived  its  usefulness,  and  had  given  way  to  one  of  more  modern 
design,  was  transformed  into  an  engine  for  working  a  pump  to  con- 
dense oxygen  and  hydrogen.  It  stands  at  the  right  of  the  door  at  the 
entrance  to  the  lecture  room.  By  its  use,  these  gases  are  packed 
into  cylinders  and  are  always  "on  tap,"  to  run  the  excellent  lantern 
that  has  been  added  to  this  department  of  the  school.  The  utility  of 
this  apparatus  becomes  apparent  in  many  ways,  especially  in  the  study 
of  anatomy  and  botany.  Near  the  engine  stands  a  three-story  case, 
tilled  with  beautiful  and  ingenious  appliances  for  class  use.  At  the 
back  of  the  room  is  a  commodious  herbarium  case,  furnished  with  a 
large  collection  of  plants  for  the  botany  classes.  Large  twenty-four- 
cell  batteries  illustrate  the  work  in  electricity,  while  the  chemistry 
classes  are  assigned  places  at  tables  in  the  adjoining  room,  where  the 
study  is  pursued  by  objective  work  on  the  part  of  the  pupils  them- 
selves. A  Bunsen  niter  pump  adorns  the  south  wall  of  the  laboratory, 
and  a  lathe  for  wood  and  metal,  a  furnace,  a  bench  and  vise,  numerous 
wash-bowls  supplied  with  water  from  the  cisterns  in  the  roof,  and 
many  other  conveniences  are  close  at  hand. 

The  work  in  physics  has  also  changed  its  character  to  conform  to 
modern  ideas  of  teaching.  A  large  case  is  filled  with  excellent  appar- 
atus from  the  establishment  of  James  W.  Queen  and  other  manufac- 
turers, and  the  pupils  constantly  use  it  in  their  work.  This  collection 
is  increased  from  time  to  time  by  the  liberality  of  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion. About  a  year  ago,  a  four-inch  glass  was  obtained  from  the 
celebrated  house  of  Alvin  Clark  &  Sons,  and  the  astronomy  classes 
are  enabled  to  form  a  more  intimate  acquaintance  with  our  celestial 
neighbors. 

The  room  formerly  used  as  the  boys'  play-room  was  remodeled 
about  two  years  ago  and  is  now  used  by  Miss  Rosalie  Miller,  the  teach- 
er of  drawing.  During  the  summer  vacation  of  1882,  the  dressing 
room  in  the  southwest  corner  was  converted  into  a  class  room  for 
the  observation  classes,  and  the  adjoining  dressing  room  was  furnished 
with  cases  and  will  henceforth  be  used  as  the  library  room.  The  part 
of  the  basement  formerly  occupied  by  the  janitor  was  fitted  up  for  the 
gentlemen's  dressing  rooms. 


WORK  OF  THE  UNDER-GRADUATES. 


In  Dr.  Ilewett's  paper  will  be  found  certain  statements  respecting 
the  attendance  of  pupils,  and  the  reasons  for  the  small  percentage  of 
graduates.  ^  The  work  of  the  under-graduates,  however,  is  worthy  of  a 
large  place  in  this  volume.  As  has  been  stated,  the  reputation  of  the 
school  must  probably  rest  chiefly  with  them. 


STATE   NORMAL   UNIVERSITY.  251 

It  was  often  charged  by  members  of  the  Legislature,  who  were 
hostile  to  the  institution,  that  students  do  not  redeem  their  pledge 
to  tench,  but  that,  after  receiving  instruction  at  State  expense,  they 
enter  other  professions  or  other  lines  of  business.  The  only  way  to 
reach  just  conclusions  is  to  secure  the  facts  in  the  case.  To  this  end  an 
attempt  was  made  in  1878  to  settle  the  question.  Correspondence  was 
opened  with  students,  addresses  were  ascertained,  and,  by  one  device 
and  another,  reports  were  received  from  over  nine  hundred  under- 
graduates who  during  the  year  1878  were  teaching. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  the  canvass  was  necessarily  imper- 
fect, but  it  was  demonstrated  that  more  than  one  thousand  of  the 
pupils  were  actually  teaching  in  the  State  at  that  time.  This  number 
is  now  undoubtedly  increased  very  materially.  When  it  is  shown  that 
one  fifth  of  all  the  students  that  have  attended  the  school  are  in  the 
schools  of  the  State  twenty  years  after  the  establishment  of  the  institu- 
tion, it  ought  to  settle  the  question  forever  as  to  whether  or  not  the 
school  is  accomplishing  its  work.  J.  W.  COOK. 


[The  following  poem  was  written  by  H.  B.  Norton,  and  read  by  Lucy  Curtis  at  the  dedica- 
tion of  the  Wrightonian  Society  Hall  in  1861.] 

ABSALOM'S  PILLAR. 

(2DSAM'L,  xviii:18.) 


Young  Absalom  sat  on  the  palace  stairs, 
Sucking  a  julep  through  a  straw, 

And  musing  over  his  own  affairs 

With  a  thoughtful  visage  as  e'er  you  saw. 

Absalom  was  a  handsome  fellow 
As  human  being  could  wish  to  view; 

His  hair  was  silken  and  long* and  yellow, 
Tied  in  a  me  st  miraculous  cue. 
Let  no  mortal  ever  aspire 
In  beauty  to  equal  the  dye  of  Tyre, 
Ophir  gold,  and  Damascus  blade, 
In  which  Prince  Absalom  sat  arrayed. 
But  the  truth  must  be  told  at  last — 
He  was  very  decidedly  fast. 
And  yet,  on  account  of  his  silken  curls, 
His  golden  bracelets  and  glimmering  pearls, 
His  handsome  face  and  his  shining  sword, 
By  all  young  ladies  was  quite  adored — 
Although  Jerusalem's  solid  men 
Warned  them  against  him  with  tongue  and  pen. 

But  Absalom  never  yet  had  married ; 
Year  on  year  he  had  patiently  tarried 
To  step  into  the  Governor's  shoes 
As  lawful  monarch  of  all  the  Jews; 
Then  some  Princess  as  bride  to  win, 
Nobly  endowed  with  the  needful  "  tin." 


252  HISTORY   OF   THE   ILLINOIS 

And  then,  his  wild  oats  being  sown 
Before  he  ascended  the  Hebrew  throne, 
He  would  establish  a  splendid  reign, 
And  his  memory  last  while  the  stars  remain. 

But  David,  without  the  slightest  qualms, 
Still  kept  singing  those  endless  psalms, 
And  promised  yet,  in  Absalom's  fears, 
To  live  to  the  age  of  a  hundred  years. 
All  things  considered,  his  chance  was  fair 
That  yet  he  mi^ht  bury  his  son  and  heir; 
And  the  solid  men  of  Jerusalem — 
A  joyful  prospect  was  that  to  them. 

So  Absalom  owned,  with  courage  dim, 

That  his  chance  for  the  throne  was  decidedly  slim ; 

And,  in  his  desolate  bachelor  state, 

Without  a  child  or  wife  or  mate, 

He  sighed  that  soon  in  the  coming  day 

His  very  name  should  have  died  away. 

But,  struck  by  a  happy  thought  at  last, 

He  rose,  and  forth  from  the  palace  passed; 

To  an  architect  straight  his  course  directed, 

And  showed  the  plan  which  he'd  projected. 

A  mighty  column  he  meant  to  raise, 

Which  should  bear  his  name  to  the  future  days. 

And  so  they  reared  it,  stone  on  stone, 

From  the  marble  steeps  of  Lebanon; 

Carved  and  fitted  in  every  part 

With  the  rarest  power  of  the  builder's  art. 

An  obelisk  was  the  column's  form, 

As  suited  best  to  outlast  the  storm, 

Which,  down  the  centuries  yet  to  come, 

Should  bear  the  name  of  Absalom; 

The  name  which  its  polished  facets  told 

With  inlaid  letters  of  gleaming  gold! 

(He  has  been  dead  full  many  a  year.) 

He  still  kept  on  in  his  fast  career. 

Thus  far  had  the  work  of*  the  firm  been  done 

Under  the  name  of  David  and  Son. 

But  our  hero  thought  that  he  would  rather 

Change  it  to  Absalom  and  Father. 

But  failing  to  make  this  grand  progression, 

At  once  decided  upon  secession; 

And  went  to  battle  and  perished  there, 

Because  of  the  length  of  his  darling  hair. 

But  still,  as  my  authorities  say, 

The  Pillar  standeth  until  this  day. 

A  very  decidedly  similar  plight 
Was  that  of  our  much-loved  Simeon  Wright. 
Years  were  creeping  on  apace, 
Stamping  their  crow-tracks  over  his  face. 
Often  the  maxim  at  him  was  thrown, 
That  "  no  moss  collects  on  a  rolling  stone." 
But  a  better  proverb  had  he  than  that: 
"A  setting  hen  is  never  fat." 
And  still  he  wandered  o'er  land  and  sea, 
And  never  a  chicken  nor  child  had  he. 


STATE    NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  253 

Yet^the  children  loved  him — they  loved  to  place, 

Their  rosy  cheeks  to  his  smiling  face. 

And  countless  friends  o'er  all- the  land 

Rejoiced  in  the  clasp  of  his  genial  hand. 

Yet  often — it  cannot  be  denied — 

Over  his  lonely  lot  he  sighed; 

And  sang,  in  view  of  his  situation, 

Weeping  Rachel's  lamentation. 

And  so,  as  we've  seen  young  Absalom  do, 

He  upreared  a  pillar  too. 

Three  long  years  has  this  column  grown, 

Stone  upraised  upon  living  stone, 

Rising  silently  day  by  day. 

We  have  heard  our  President  say 

Through  what  triumphs  and  toil  and  strife 

This  pillar  has  grown  to  its  perfect  life. 

And  now  we  have  joyfully  gathered  here, 

The  topmost  stone  in  its  place  to  rear. 

The  years  in  their  steady  course  will  keep, 
And  he,  our  sire,  with  his  sires  shall  sleep. 
( But  he  will  not  perish,  we  surely  know, 
By  allowing  his  hair  too  long  to  grow; 
For  the  world  beholds  him  every  morn 
Neatly  shaven  and  trimly  shorn.) 
And  if  the  moss,  as  the  years  speed  on, 
Should  gather  about  the  rolling  stone, 
We  think  he  might  with  perfect  propriety 
Will  it  all  to  his  pet  society. 

And  the  Pillar, — as  ceaseless  years  roll  by, 

Still  may  it  lift  its  head  on  high, 

And  bear  to  the  centuries  before, 

The  name  that  glitters  on  yonder  door; 

Standing  ever,  in  strength  sublime, 

A  signet  ring  on  the  hand  of  Time; 

Stamping  its  likeness  on  hosts  unborn,         ^ 

Who  its  records  may  yet  adorn . 

Standing  ever  its  founder's  boa&t — 

(We  have  offered  this  as  a  closing  toast). 


EXTRACT  FROM  THE  FIRST  PRINCIPAL'S  FIRST  REPORT. 


"On  the  fifth  day  of  October,  1857,  the  principal  and  Ira  Mo<> re- 
opened the  Normal  University  in  presence  of  no  spectators  and  the 
following  students:  Enoch  A.  Gastman,  Jr.,  W.  AV.  Iliggins,  Joseph 
G.  Howell,  John  Hull,  John  D.  Kirkpatrick,  and  Henry  H.  Pope — 
six;  and  Elizabeth  K.  Arnold,  Hannah  C.  Bedell,  Mary  Y.  Davi>oii, 
Sarah  M.  Dunn,  Cornelia  A.  Gregory,  Sarah  J.  Gregory,  Helen 
F.  M.  Grinnell,  Emily  Junk,  Elizabeth  J.  McMillan,  Jane  G.  Michie, 
Jane  F.  Montgomery,  Margaret  C.  Smith,  and  Kate  I.  Young — 
thirteen;  in  all,  nineteen.  Some  others  came  in  during  the  day,  and 
on  the  ensuing  morning  the  number  had  grown  to  twenty-nine. 
During  the  first  eight  days  forty-three  students  (fourteen  males, 


IT 


254  HISTORY    OF    THE    ILLINOIS 

twenty-nine  females)  were  enrolled,  our  number  for  the  first  term. " 

Ira  Moore,  in  The  Schoolmaster,  November,  1869,  names  James 
H.  Dutton,  Peter  Harper,  Silas  Hayes,  Charles  D.  Irons,  Edwin 
Philbrook,  Justin  R.  Spaulding,  Fanny  S.  Denison,  Annie  M.  English, 
Martha  W.  Fay,  Martha  A.  Hawkins,  Martha  M.  Marble,  Frances 
A.  Peterson,  Matilda  I.  Reisings,  and  Bessie  A.  Strong,  as  also 
present  in  Major's  Hall  on  the  morning  of  the  fifth  day  of  October, 
1857.  It  is  probable  these  were  the  students  who  came  in  "during 
the  day. " 

MRS.  MARY  FRANCES  HULL. 


Since  the  early  pages  of  this  volume  have  gone  through  the  press, 
another  member  of  the  class  of  1860  has  passed  away. 

Mary  Frances  Hull  was  born  in  Bloomington,  Illinois,  June 
3,  1841,  and  died  in  Carbondale,  Illinois,  August  19,  1882.  She  was 
the  daughter  of  Amasa  C.  and  Ann  Washburn,  both  of  whom  survive 
her.  She  entered  the  Illinois  State  Normal  School,  January  4,  1858, 
at  the  beginning  of  the  second  term  of  the  school,  and  graduated 
with  the  first  class  in  1860.  Immediately  after  graduation,  she  was 
employed  to  take  charge  of  the  model  school.  She  remained  in  this 

Eosition  about  a  year,  when  failing  health  compelled  her  to  resign, 
ince  that  time  she  has  been  more  or  less  an  invalid.  April  3,  1862, 
she  was  married  to  John  Hull,  a  classmate,  and  now  professor  of 
mathematics  in  the  Southern  Illinois  State  Normal  University.  Two 
children  survive  her,  a  third  having  died  some  years  since.  Those 
who  knew  her  will  readily  recognize  the  justness  of  the  following 
extract  from  the  remarks  made  by  Dr.  Allyn'at  her  funeral: 

"She  had  a  rare  degree  of  intelligence — a  native  genius,  in  fact, 
for  acquiring  knowledge  and  forming  accurate  judgments.  Few  have 
I  found,  in  a  very  large  circle  of  friends,  who  excelled  her  in  ability 
and  power  to  grasp  facts  and  deduce  principles;  and  in  this  estimate  of 
her  I  was  not  alone.  *  *  '*  She  had  large  ability  to  teach,  and 

did  succeed  as  few  can.  She  had  genius  for  thought  which  could 
readily  have  turned  to  authorship;  but  she  chose  the  domestic  circle, 
including  wifehood  and  motherhood,  the  holiest  and  noblest  of  human 
relations — that  higher  plane  which  makes  heaven  possible  for  a  human 
race,  arid  which,  as  she  presided  in  it,  is  the  best  type  of  a  heaven  of 
purity  and  improvement.  And  never  should  the  hint  that  this  was  not 
her  highest  merit  go  without  rebuke.  Home  was  her  kingdom,  and 
she  ruled  it  into  peace  and  a  school  of  virtue  and  power.  Seldom 
have  I  known  one  so  unselfish  and  considerate  of  others,  so  wise  in 
words  and  -especially  in  silence,  so  quick  to  form  a  judgment  from 
obscure  facts,  and  at  the  same  time  so  accurate  in  'conclusions,  so 
charitable  in  judging  of  motives  and  actions,  and  so  generous  of  quiet 
appreciative  praise,  or  so  sparing  of  censure.'* 


STATE   NORMAL    UNIVERSITY.  255 

WHAT  AN  EMINENT  FOREIGNER  THINKS  OF  THE  NORMAL  UNIVERSITY. 


They  (the  Americans)  are  beginning  to  recognize  the  importance 
of  the  theoretical  and  practical  training  of  teachers,  and  to  establish 
Normal  Schools  to  afford  the  opportunities  for  such  training.  At  the 
head  of  such  institutions  stands  the  Normal  University  at  Bloom- 
ington,  Illinois."  The  large  and  very  tasteful  building  was  erected  at  a 
cost  of  $182,000.  Two  hundred  ladies  and  one  hundred  gentlemen 
attended  the  school  in  1864.  The  institution  is  intended  to  train 
teachers  for  the  public  schools  by  instructing  its  pupils  in  the  art  of 
teaching.  *  *  *  *  In  the  third  year  of  the  course  especial  atten- 
tion is  devoted  to  methods  of  instruction  and  to  practice  in  teaching. 
To  afford  opportunity  for  the  latter  a  model  school  is  connected  with 
the  institution.  The  present  principal,  Mr.  Richard  Edwards,  is 
known  far  and  wide  as  a  prominent,  able,  and,  in  every  respect, 
blessing-working  man.  He  understands  the  dangers  of  slavish  obedi- 
ence to  the  text-book,  and  emphasizes  properly  the  advantages  of  oral 
instruction." — Translated  from  Dr.  Karl  Schmidt'1*  Gesckichte  der 
Paedagoyik,  Volume  1 V,  page  902. 


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Appletons'  School  Readers  were  Adopted,  June  22, 1882,  for  the  Public  Schools  of 
Chicago,  with  a  Vote  of  Thirteen  to  One. 

Appletons'  Elementary  Reading  Charts. 

46  numbers.  Prepared  by  Rebecca  D.  Rlckoff.  Every  Chart  in  the  series  has  in  view  a 
definite  object,  which  is  thoroughly  and  systematically  developed.  Every  step  in  advance  is 
in  a  logical  order  of  progression  and  development.  The  beautiful  and  significant  illustra- 
tions are  an  especially  noticeable  and  attractive  feature  of  these  charts.  Lectures,  objects, 
and  things  employed,  rather  than  abstract  rules  and  naked  type. "  They  follow  the  natural 
method  of  teaching,  appealing  to  those  faculties  of  the  child  that  are  most  easily  awakened, 
and  inciting  correct  mental  processes  at  the  outset.  They  are  arranged  to  be  suspended 
when  in  use,  from  the  back  of  a  common  chair,  thus  securing  at  all  times  a  good  position  for 
the  convenient  and  advantageous  display  before  classes. 

A  Latin  Grammar  for  Schools  and  Colleges. 

By  Albert  Harkness,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.  Revised  edition  of  1881.  It  is  an  elocutionary  gram- 
mar for  beginners.  This  is  indeed  its  prime  object,  with  which  nothing  has  been  allowed  .to 
interfere.  Brevity  of  treatment,  clearness  of  outline,  and  simplicity  of  statement,  charac- 
terize this  part  of  the  work.  It  is  an  adequate  and  trustworthy  grammar  for  advanced 
students.  Care  has  been  taken  to  explain  and  illustrate  with  the  requsite  fulness,  all  difficult 
and  intricate  subjects.  The  Subjunctive  Mood  and  the  Indirect  Discourse  have  received 
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Latin.  Abundant  references  are  made  to  the  latest  and  best  authorities  upon  the  numerous 
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The  Song  Wave. 

A  collection  of  choice  music,  with  elementary  instruction.  For  the  school  room,  insti- 
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kind  pwtflisbed.  It  contains  a  variety  of  pieces,  adapting  it  to  every  occasion.  It  contains 
the  purest  sentiment  in  its  text,  desirable  for  memorizing.  It  is  characterized  by  a  prevail- 
ing harmony  in  its  musical  selections  seldom  found.  It  contains  a  brief,  practical,  and 
comprehensive  course  of  elementary  instruction.  It  has  a  large,  clear,  beautiful  type, 
rendering  it  attractive  in  appearance  and  helpful  to  the  eyesight.  It  retains  the  best  of 
standard  favorites  among  the  old  songs,  and  introduces  new  ones  of  great  merit.  A  sample 
copy,  for  examination,  will  be  forwarded  on  receipt  of  60  cents. 

A  Geographical  Reader.     (Illustrated.) 

A  collection  of  geographical  descriptions  and  explanations,  from  the  best  writers  in 
English  literature.  Classified  and  arranged  to  meet  the  wants  of  geographical  students.  By 
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style,  and  treats  of  every  variety  of  geographical  topic.  It  supplements  the  geographical 
text-books,  and  by  giving  additional  interest  to  the  study,  it  leads  the  student  to  more 
extensive  geographical  reading  and  research.  It  is  not  simply  a  collection  of  dry  statistics 
and  outline  descriptions,  but  vivid  narrations  of  great  literary  merit,  that  convey  useful 
information  and  promote  general  culture.  It  conforms  to  the  philosophical  ideas  upon 
which  the  new  education  is  based.  Just  published.  Sample  copy,  for  examination,  75  cents. 

Appletons'  Standard  System  of  Penmanship. 

Prepared  by  Lymau  D.  Smith.  Lead-Pencil  Course,  3  Nos.  Short  Course,  7  Xos.  Short 
Course  (tracing),  2  Nos.  Grammar  Course,  7  Nos.  The  following  are  among  the  leading 
features  of  this  system:  Writing  made  the  expression  of  thought.  Word,  phrase,  and 
sentence  building,  constituting  interesting  language-lessons.  Writing  taught  synthetically. 
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acquire  with  certainty  the  real  writing  movement.  No  exaggerated  style  of  writing  which 
leads  the  pupil  to  draw  rather  than  to  write.  Graded  columns,  whereby  the  increasing  scope 
of  movement  enables  the  pupil  gradually  and  naturally  to  acquire  the  fore-arm  movement. 
Better  gradation  than  is  found  in  any  other  series.  They  are  in  accordaace  with  the  modern 
methods  of  teaching. 

This  system,  thus  dealing  with  whole  letters,  words,  and  sentences,  rapidly  advances  the 
pupil  by  steps  that  are  natural,  progressive,  graded,  clear,  and  attractive. 

Catalogues,  circulars,  etc.,  mailed  free  on  application.  We  also  send  "Educational 
Notes,"  free  to  teachers  who  will  send  us  their  P.  O.  address.  Address 

D.  APPLETON  &  CO., 

New  York,  Boston,  Chicago,  San  Francisco. 


How  to  Teach  Arithmetic 


IS   POINTED    OUT   STEP    BY    STEP    IN 


BY  PROF.  JOHN  W.  COOK, 

Professor  of  Mathematics  in  the  Illinois  Normal  University. 


This  book  is  without  a  rival,  and  is  the  best  presentation  ever  made  of  the  entire  subject. 
Every  principle  in  Arithmetic  and  the  best  and  latest  methods  are  cleai-ly  explained  and 
illustrated  by  examples,  and  all  difficult  points  are  fully  solved  and  illustrated. 

•  Prof.  Cook  is  known  throughout  the  country  as  a  mathematical  instructor  without  a 
superior,  and  in  the  discussions  of  this  work  he  has  embodied  his  best  thoughts  on  the 
subject  of  teaching  numbers,  the  fruits  of  a  long  experience,  and  the  best  methods  that 
deep  research  and  careful  study  have  mastered.  The  matter  contained  in  the  book  is  the 
same  in  substance  as  that  which  Prof.  Cook  offers  to  his  arithmetic  classes  in  the  Illinois 
Normal  University.  The  definitions,  methods  of  solution,  form  of  analyses,  etc.,  are 
precisely  those  in  which  his  instruction  of  those  classes  he  has  found  to  be  the  most  effective 
in  leading  pupils  to  an  accurate  and  thorough  knowledge  of  the  subject.  For  clearness  and 
simplicity,  the  book  is  absolutely  unequaled,  at  least  by  anything  that  we  have  ever  met 
with.  We  commend  it  to  teachers  as  an  invaluable  help.  «•» 


TESTIMONIALS. 


Am  highly  pleased  with  its  clearness  and 
simplicity.—  Prin.  J.  Pike. 

I  have  not  only  been  a  careful  reader,  but 
a  close  student  of  Prof.  Cook's  work.  It  has 
been  to  me  a  fountain  of  new  ideas.— C.  J. 
Alien. 

His  years  of  class-room  work  make  him 
an  excellent  judge  of  what  is  best  to  pre- 
sent, and  the  best  manner  of  presenting  it. 
— Supt.  Burgess. 

I  regard  it  as  very  valuable.  It  is  clear, 
practical,  and  without  nonsensical  "hair- 
splitting" in  definitions  or  analysis.— E.  A. 
Gastman. 

Clear,  sharp,  and  vigorous,  it  cannot  fail 
to  be  a  valuable  auxiliary  in  the  teaching 


of   this  important  subject.    Worth  many 
times  the  cost.— S.  Y.  Gillan. 

I  do  not  know  of  any  place  where  there 
can  be  found  in  so  little  space  so  much  that 
is  valuable,  and  so  concisely  said,  as  in  this 
work.  It  seems  to  me  that  in  every  case  he 
gives  "the  conclusion  of  the  whole  mat- 
ter."— Joseph  Carter. 

I  am  glad  Prof.  Cook  has  published  this 
volume,  and  I  think  it  invaluable  to  correct 
work  in  arithmetic.  For  years  past  I  have 
had  to  prepare  notes  for  every  new  teacher 
appointed  to  my  school.  Prof.  Cook's  book 
relieves  me  of  this  labor,  and  in  a  most 
satisfactory  manner.— W.  H.  Richardson. 


PRICE,  POSTPAID,  75  CENTS. 


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BOOTS,  SHOES,  AND  NOTIONS. 
NORMAL,  ILL. 

MeNIEL  &  YODER, 

—GROCERS 


Keep  constantly  a  large  and  well  selected  stock  of  Staple  and  Fancy  Groceries,  Fruits,  and 

Vegetables.    Canned  Goods,  and  all  kinds  of  Boarding-House  Supplies  a 

Specialty.      Students'  Patronage  Respectfully  Solicited. 

NORMAL,  ILLINOIS. 


H.  C.  DEWENTBR.  W.  H.  KBEITZKB. 

DEWENTER  &  KREITZER, 


DEALERS  IN 


Hats,  Caps,  and  Furs, 

GENTS'  FURNISHING  GOODS,  ROBES,  UMBRELLAS,  &c. 

SHIRTS  MADE  TO  ORDEE. 
COR.  WASHINGTON  &  CENTER  STS.,  BLOOMINGTON,  ILLINOIS. 


PHOTOGRAPHER, 

402  W.  MAIN  STREET,  BLOOMIKGTON,  ILL. 

DR.  J.  MeCANN, 

Tlie  ISTormal 


Dealer  in  STRICTLY  PURE  DRUGS  AND  MEDICINES.     The  only  reliable  Druggist  in  Nor- 
mal, where  a  full  line  of  Drugs  and  Medicines,  and  Druggist  Sundries,  are  to  be  found. 
I  have  now  the  largest  and  most  complete  stock  of  Drugs  ever  brought  to  this 
market.    I  will,  and  do,  sell  as  low  down  as  any  house  in  the  county.    I  han- 
dle White  Lead  and  Linseed  Oil,  Window  Glass,  and  all  painters'  goods. 
Also  Students'  Supplies,  Paper,  Pens,  Note  Books,  Etc.,— all   except    text- 
books.    A  specialty  is  made  to  accommodate  the  public.     Special  care  in  filling 
prescriptions.    Save  money  and  time,  arid  trade  with  Dr.  J.  McCann,  THE  Normal  Druggist- 

JERSEY  CATTLE, 

OP   THE 

Coomassie,  Alpha,  and  Pansy  Families. 

BRED  AND  FOR  SALE  BY 

N.  N.  JONES,  Normal,  111. 


JAMES  DODGE, 

DEALER   IN 

STOVES,  HARDWARE,  &  FARM  IMPLEMENTS. 


MANUFACTURER  OP 


TIN,  COPPER,  AND  SHEET  IRON  WARE. 


-ALSO 


JOBBER  OF  ROOFING,  SPOUTING  AND  REPAIRING  OF  ALL  KINDS. 


SATISFACTION  GUARANTEED. 

NORMAL,  ILLINOIS. 


BERT  MCLEAN, 

WHOLESALE  AND  RETAIL  DEALEK  IN 

C  O 


JUSTICE  OF  THE  PEACE  AND  GENERAL  COLLECTING  AGENT. 


T    S.  MILLS, 


DEALER  IN 

DRUGS,  MEDICINES,    CHEMICALS,    STATIONERY,  TOILET 

SOAPS.  PERFUMERY,  COMBS,  BRUSHES,  SPONGES, 

AND  ALL  KINDS  OF  DRUGGISTS'  STJNDK1  KS. 

Usually  kept  in  a  first-class  Drug  Store.  The  public  will  find  our  stock  of  mediciues  com- 
plete, warranted  genuine,  and  of  the  best  quality.  Prescriptions  carefully  compounded. 
Night  and  Sabbath  day  calls  answered  (for  medicines  only).  Store  in  third  building  east  of 
the  postoffice,  NORMAL,  ILLINOIS. 


COLLEGE  OF  COMMERCE, 


ILLINOIS 

WESLEYAN  UNIVERSITY 

BLOOMINGTON,  ILL. 


NOTHING  SUCCEEDS  LIKE  SUCCESS. 


Twice  in  two  years  we  have  outgrown  our  college  rooms. 

On  June  13,  we  graduated  the  largest  class  ever  graduated  in  this  section  of  the  country, 
and  gave  four  beautiful  gold  medals  for  merit. 

Though  only  two  years  in  existence,  our  graduates  are  already  found  in  banks  and  other 
counting  rooms,  in  business  houses  of  all  kinds  throughout  the  country.  Several  members 
of  our  last  class  are  engaged  to  teach  in  business  colleges  in  different  parts  of  the  country. 

During  the  last  year  a  number  of  our  students  executed  specimens  of  Pen  Art  that 
cannot  be  excelled  in  the  west.  A  single  drawing  by  one  student  was  valued  at  $500. 

IN    SHORT-HAND, 

We  had,  in  1881,  more  students  than  any  other  business  college  in  the  United  Stutes  had  in 
the  last  year  reported  by  the  Commissioner  of  Education. 

IT  MUST  NOT  BE  DENIED  that  we  can  fit  students  for  short-hand  amanuensis  work 
in  from  one  to  three  months,  and  for  general  reporting  in  from  three  to  six  months,  for  we 
have  repeatedly  done  it.  Schools  all  over  the  country  are  taking  up  our  system — Eclectic 
Short-Hand. 

The  Reporters'  Bureau,  of  Chicago,  wrote  us: 

"We  have  found  positions  for  several  of  your  students,  as  amanuenses,  and  every  one  of 
them  has  been  a  success." 

Young    Man,  Young  Woman! 

If  you  want  the  fullest  course  of  study  and  practice  in  Accounts,  Penmanship,  and  Steno- 
graphy, with  a  certainty  of  success,  send  for  our  College  Annual,  and  prepare  to  enter  at  the 
opening  of  our  fall  term,  September  13. 


H.  AUGUSTINE.  W.  H.  SCHUREMAN. 


HOME  NURSERY, 

NORMAL,  ILLINOIS. 


AUGUSTINE    &    CO.,  Proprs. 


WHOLESALE  AND  RETAIL  DEALERS  IN 


Fruit,  Ornamental,  and  Forest  Trees,  Small 
Fruit  Plants,  Grape  Vines,  Ornamen- 
tal Shrubbery,  Hedge  Plants. 


SNYDER  BLACKBERRY  A  SPECIALTY. 


CORRESPONDENCE  SOLICITED. 

CATALOGUES  FURNISHED  ON  APPLICATION. 


OFFICE: 
On  Street  Railway,  near  Railroad  Crossing. 

TELEPHONE  No.  198  WITH  BLOOMINGTON  EXCHANGE. 

Take  Street  Car  from  L.  E.  &  W.  and  I.  B.  &  W.  Depots,  Bloomingrton,  to  reach  Normal,  at 
the  Junction  of  the  C.  &  A.  and  I.  C.  Railroads. 


PACKING  GROUNDS  TWENTY  RODS  WEST  OF  NORMAL  TNIVKUSITV. 


STEERE,  M'LEAN  &  CO., 


DEALERS   IN 


BOOTSandSHOES 

SLIPPERS  AND  RUBBERS. 


A  LARGE  ASSORTMENT  OF  THE  BEST  MAKES  CONSTANT!^  ON  HAND. 
ALL  GOODS  WARRANTED  AS  REPRESENTED. 

117  NORTH  MAIN  ST.,  BLOOMINGTON,  ILL. 


POWELL'S  LANGUAGE  SERIES. 


Introduction  Price,  42c. 
Exchange  Price,  25c. 


troduction   Price,  72c.  T  T  S~~\  T  A  T      T"1/"^       T  7t  7"  T^  T  T*  T~« 

Exchange  Price,  50c.  t~i  U  W         1  O       W  K  1 


These  two  books,  prepared  by  W.  B.  Powell,  A.  M.,  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Aurora, 
Illinois,  are  the  result  of  many  years  of  successful  effort  in  training  children  to  talk  and 
write  correctly. 

Their  purpose  is  to  guide  the  young  learner  in  the  correct,  use  of  language  at  the  time 
when  he  is  acquiring  a  vocabulary  and  forming  habits  of  speech. 

The  ordinary  school  grammars  and  alleged  language  text-books  fail  because  they  are 
only  suitable  for  comparatively  advanced  pupils,  who  commence  their  study  too  late,  after 
bad  habits  of  speech,  which  books  are  powerless  to  correct,  have  been  formed. 

Pupils  reading  in  a  Second  or  Third  Reader,  can  readily  understand  everything  in  the 
first  book. 

Specimen  copies  for  examination,  with  reference  to  adoption,  sent  prepaid  on  receipt  of 
the  introduction  prices,  which4  will  be  refunded  if  either  the  books  are  adopted  or  returned. 

Liberal  terms  for  first  introduction  in  schools.    Send  for  descriptive  catalogue. 

Address,  ^.  s    r 

COWPERTHWAIT  &  CO,  PUBLISH.BS.  153  WABASH 


JERSEY  CATTLE, 

Of  the  Families  most  noted  as  Butter  Makers. 

BRED  AND  FOR  SALE  BY 

J.  E.  GASTON  &  SON,  NORMAL,  ILL. 


Julius  IVTueller, 

PROPRIETOR 

PALACE 

STEAM  DYE 


Give  us  a  call.    Ladies'  and  Gents'  Garments  Neatly  Dyed  and  Cleaned.    All  work 
done  in  the  best  possible  manner,  and  at  very  low  prices.    Goods  received 
by  express  will  receive  prompt  attention.    Special 
rates  to  students. 

NORTH  CENTER  STREET.                            314  NORTH  MAIN  STREET. 
BLOOMINGTON,  ILLINOIS. 

NORMAL  MARKET, 

B.  L.  HERINGTON,  PROPRIETOR, 

Wholesale  and  Betail  Dealer  in 


Lard,  Sausages, 


NONE  BUT  THE  BEST 
WILL  BE  OFFERED  FOR  SALE  OVER  MY  COUNTER. 


LIVERY 


CHRIS.  SCHENFELDT, 

XORMAL,  ILLINOIS. 


STATE  NORMAL  UNIVERSITY 


NORMAL,  MCLEAN  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS. 

This  institution  was  established,  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State,  in  1857.  Its  sole 
purpose  is  to  prepare  teachers  for  the  schools  of  the  State.  The  several  grades  of  the 
Model  Department  are  established  to  aid  in  this  work. 

All  students  in  the  Normal  Department  are  required  to  declare  that  their  purpose  in 
attending- is  to  fit  themselves  for  teaching,  and  all  the  work  of  the  school  is  shaped  to  this 
single  purpose.  Probably  no  other  Normal  School  Faculty  in  the  country  embodies  so  much 
of  successful  experience  in  Normal  School  work  as  ours. 

Tuition  is  FBEK  to  tho->e  who  take  a  pledge  to  teach  in  the  schools  of  Illinois;  others  pay 
tuition  at  the  same  rate  as  in  the  high  school. 

Our  facilities  for  the  study  of  Botany,  Zoology,  Geology,  Chemistry,  and  Mineralogy,  are 
excellent;  and  we  now  offer  them  to  such  as  desire  to  make  those  studies  a  specialty  at  a 
very  small  cost. 

THE    HIGH-SCHOOL 

grade  of  the  Model  Department  offers  the  advantages  of  a  first-class  academy,  and  prepara- 
tory school.  There  are  two  courses  of  study,— the  General  and  the  Classical.  Those  who 
satisfactorily  complete  either  course  receive  the  Diploma  of  the  University.  The  Classical 
course  gives  a  thorough  preparation  for  our  best  colleges;  our  graduates  enter  Harvard  and 
Yale  without  difficulty.  The  General  course  offers  excellent  opportunities  to  those  who  do 
not  have  the  time  or  inclination  for  an  extended  college  course.  Tuition  in  this  grade,  $30  a 
year, — or  $  10  a  term.  For  particulars  concerning  the  High  School,  address  the  principal, 
Edmund  J.  James,  Ph.  D. 

THE    GRAMMAR-SCHOOL 

grade  is  under  the  charge  of  the  Assistant  Training  Teacher;  he  does  much  of  the  teaching' 
sees  that  healthy  discipline  is  maintained,  and  takes  care  that  no  improper  or  vicious  pupils 
are  admitted  to  the  school.  This  school  prepares  pupils  for  the  Normal  Department,  for  the 
High  School,  or  for  general  business.  The  instruction  is  given  by  teachers  who  are  trained 
in  the  best  modern  methods,  and  who  are  under  constant  and  efficient  supervision.  Pupils 
who  complete  the  Preparatory  Course  are  promoted  to  the  High  or  Normal  School  without 
further  examination.  Tuition  in  Grammar  Grade,  $25  a  year,  or  $8.33  a  term. 
For  Catalogues  and  particulars,  address 

EDWIN  C.  1IEWETT,  PRESIDENT. 


SCRIBNER'S 

GEOGRAPHICAL  READER 

AND  PRIMER 

Is  the  only  book  published  ichich  presents  the  subject  of  Geography  in 
an  attractive  and  scientific  form  for  beginners. 


THIS  BOOK  IS  MADE  UP  OF  TWO  PAETS. 

PART  I,  192  pp.,  is  a  Reader  of  the  advanced  third-reader  grade,  consisting  of  a  series 
of  picturesque  readings,  describing  a  journey  round  the  world.  This  PART  is  designed  for  a 
Supplementary  Reader,  and  as  a  basis  for  oral  instruction  in  Geography. 

PART  II,  96  pp.,  including  16  pages  of  handsomely  colored  and  clearly  printed  maps,  is 
a  Primer  of  Lessons  in  Geography,  and,  in  a  brief  compass,  by  an  admirable  arrangement  of 
lessons,  exercises,  and  reviews,  presents  all  the  essentials  of  a  FIRST  BOOK  on  this  subject. 

A  handsomely  illustrated  twelve-mo  volume  of  288  pages  (including 

16  pages  of  maps),  substantially  bound  in  full  cloth, 

and  with  red  edges. 

WHOLESALE  PRICE,  60  CENTS.     INTRODUCTION  PRICE,  50  CENTS. 

NEW  BOOKS. 


Sheldon's  Readers.  Cooley's  New  Physics. 

Sheldon"1  s  Spellers.  Cooley^s  New  Chemistry. 

Felter^s  New  Arithmetics.  Tenners  Zoologies. 

Guyotfs  New  Geographies.  lorry's  Political  Economy. 

COKKESPONDENCE    SOLICITED. 


CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS,  PUBS., 

743  AND  745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 
178  WABASH  AVKXI;K,  CHICAGO.  O.  S.  COOK,  .Noitli \\vsk-rn  Agt. 


GEO.  SHERWOOD.  WILLARD  WOODABD. 

GEO.  SHERWOOD  &  CO., 


130  Adams  St.,  Corner  of  Clark  St.,  Chicago, 


A  NEW  DEPARTURE.  Fresh  reading  matter  for  the  children,  who  are  tired  of  their 
old  readers. 

Something  new  for  every  month;  appropriate  graded  selections,  furnished  in  books  of  33 
pages,  cheaper  than  any  works  on  Reading  ever  offered  to  the  public. 


THE  STUDENT'S  SERIES  OF  READERS, 

BY  RICHAKD  EDWARDS,  LL.  D.,  AND  HENRY  L.  BOLTWOOD,  A.  M. 

First  Header-Part  1,  33  pages;  Part  2,  33  pages;  Part  3,  32  pages. 

Second  Reader— Part  4,  32  pages;  Part  5,  32  pages;  Part  6,  32  pages;   Part  7,  32  pages;  Part 

8,  33  pages. 
Third  Reader— Parts,  33  pages;   Part  10,  32  pages;   Part  11,  33  pages;  Part  12,  32  pages;   Part 

13,  32  pages;  Part  14,  32  pages;  Part  15,  32  pages;  Part  16,  33  pages;  Part  17,  32  pages. 

Wholesale, introduction, and  examination  prices:  Per  dozen,54  cents;  postage,  10  cents; 
per  dozen,  by  mail,  64  cents.    Retail,  six  cents  per  part. 

Fourth  Reader,  cloth  back  (wholesale,  introduction,  and  examination  prices),  Part  18,  96 
pages,  30  cents;  Part  19,  96  pages,  20  cents;  Part  20,  96  pages,  20  cents;  Part  21,  96  pages,  30 
cents.  Retail,  25  cents  each.  Postage,  4  cents  extra  on  each  book. 

Model  Student's  Reader,  96  cents. 

No  Series  of  Readers  ever  published  is  so  well  adapted  for  Phonic  Analysis.  All  the 
words  introduced  in  each  form  are  given  at  the  end  of  each  82  pages,  in  the  Webster  Marking 
and  in  the  Phonic  Alphabet  of  the  Spelling  Reform  Association. 


ANALYTICAL  COPY  BOOKS, 

THE  NEATEST,  BEST,  AND  CHEAPEST  SERIES  YET  PUBLISHED. 

Introduced  into  Chicago  Public  Schools  last  year,  and  Re-adopted 

over  all  Competitors  this  year,  by  a  final 

vote  of  14  to  1. 

Send  for  Circulars  for  Model  Readers,  Arithmetics,  and  History. 
GEO.  SHEEWOOD  &  CO.  WILLARD  WOODAED. 


W.  O.  DAVIS,  PROPRIETOR. 

BLOOMINGTON,  ILLINOIS. 

ESTABLISHED  1846. 

THE  DAIL  Y  PA  NT  A  GRAPH. 

The  Daily  edition  is  a  neat  8-column  folio,  issued  every  morning-  (except  Sunday); 
contains  very  full  telegraphic  dispatches  of  the  Western  Associated  Press,  reliable 
telegraphic  market  reports,  and  special  telegrams  and  correspondence  from  all  points 
in  Central  Illinois,  covering  the  news  field  completely.  It  is  received  by  Pantagraph 
agents  in  every  town  in  this  part  of  the  State,  on  early  morning  trains,  and  furnished 
to  its  readers  at  15  cents  per  week.  Sent  by  mail  anywhere  for  the  same  price.  It  Is 
the  best  daily  published  for  Central  Illinois  people. 

THE  WEEKLY  PANTAGRAPH. 

Its  excellence  is  attested  by  the  fact  that  its  circulation  is  greater  than  any  weekly 
published  in  a  provincial  city  in  Illinois.  It  contains  a  thorough  condensation  of  all 
the  news,  foreign,  general,  state,  and  local,  and  correspondence  from  all  parts  of 
McLean  and  surrounding  counties;  accurate  market  reports,  local  and  telegraph; 
choice  stories  and  miscellany  for  home  reading.  Price,  f  1.50  per  year  in  advance.  All 
postmasters  are  agents  to  take  subscriptions. 

JOB  DEPARTMENT. 

This  department  of  the  Pantagraph  Establishment  has  gained  a  reputation  second  to 
none  in  the  west,  for  the  execution  of  commercial,  legal,  school,  and  general  printing. 
A  specialty  of  stock  work;  no  establishment  in  the  world  being  better  equipped  for 
this  class  of  work.  Book  and  pamphlet  printing  in  all  the  styles  known  to  the  "Art 
Preservative  of  all  Arts."  The  following  extract  from  a  history  of  McLean  County 
will  bear  republishing: 

"In  1858,  specimens  of  the  Pantagraph  job  printing  took  the  first  premium  at  the 
great  St.  Louis  Fair,  at  tho  National  Fair  in  Chicago,  the  same  year,  and  at  the  Illinois 
State  Fair."  "The  job  office  of  the  Pantagraph  is  one  of  the  best  in  Illinois,  and  the 
job  printing  is  remarkable  for  its  good  taste." 

Buying  stock  from  the  manufacturers  direct,  and  having  all  modern  machinery, 
enables  us  to  compete  with  the  world. 

SCHOOL  SPECIALTIES. 

Under  this  head  comes  the  Pantagraph  Pen  and  Pencil  Books,  an  article  which  has 
become  as  staple  in  the  school  room  as  the  text-book.  Wherever  these  goods  are 
introduced,  the  noisy,  screeching  slate  has  been  abandoned.  A  descriptive  list  sent 
on  application.  Special  introduction  discounts  to  schools.  In  addition  to  above,  we 
publish  Schureman's  Township  Treasurer's  Books;  Edwards'  School  Blanks,  and 
many  other  like  specialties. 

BOOK  BINDING. 

It  is  not  generally  known  that  in  Bloomington  the  metropolitan  cities  have  a  rival  in 
this  class  of  work.  Bindings  in  all  the  various  styles  are  here  done  at  prices  which 
defy  competition.  We  submit  the  following  testimonials  in  proof  of  these  assertions: 

NORMAL,  ILLIXOIS.  September  23. 1881. 

Having  had  a  number  of  volumes  bound  at  your  establishment.  I  am  happy  to  say  that  I  am  pleased 
with  the  whole  job.  The  price  was  satisfactory,  and  the  style  and  quality  of  the  work  metropolitan. 
Bloomiugton  ought  to  be  proud  of  your  bindery.  Yours  respectfully",  REV.  H.  R.  PEAIRS. 

BLOOMIXGTOX  LIBRARY  ASSOCIATION'.  September  25. 1882. 

Having  had  considerable  binding  done  at  your  establishment  during  the  past  two  years,  I  take 
pleasure  in  recommending  the  style,  durability,  prices,  etc.  One  of  the  \»-~t  pl.n-t.-  t"  test  the  strength 
of  the  binder's  work  is  in  a  public  library.  Respectfully,  H.  R.  GALL1SER.  Librarian. 

ILLINOIS  STATE  NORMAL  UNIVERSITY,  September  20. 1882. 

I  am  pleased  with  the  work  you  have  done,  in  binding  books  belonging  to  our  University  Library, 
together  with  the  few  you  have  bound  for  mv  private  library.  Of  course,  the  kind  of  binding 
was  not  such  as  to  call  for  fine  work  so  much  as  for  plain,  strong'work.  Your  work  stems  t"  !»•  strong 
and  substantial,  and  I  regard  your  prices  as  very  reasonable.  Yours  truly,  E.  C.  HEWETT. 

ILLINOIS  STATE  LABORATORY  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY.  September  25. 18K. 

The  Bloomington  Pantagraph  Bindery  has  bound  about  250  volumes  for  the  library  of  this  insti- 
tution during  the  last  two  rears.  The  work  has  been  thoroughly  well  done,  in  every  particular,  and  at 
prices  as  low  as  we  could  get  anywhere.  *.  A.  FORBES.  Director. 

ILLINOIS  SCHOOL  JOURNAL.  NORMAL.  ILL..  September  23. 1882. 

Having  had  many  books  bound  at  your  establishment,  it  gives  me  pleasure  to  say  that  I  have  (MM 
the  work  uniformlv  handsome  and  substantial.  It  is  also  reasonable  in  price.  So  better  or  more 
elegant  work  need  be  desired  than  is  done  at  your  establishment.  Yours  truly. 

CHARLES DEGARMO, 

Assistant  Training  Teacher,  Illinois  S.  X.  U. 


DATE  DUE 


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